The Bloodshed After The War
by fhrulz21
Summary: The war is over and Harry has won. But now the Wizarding World is trying to get rid of all supposed Dark influences, which includes vampires. Unfortunately, Harry is one.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade

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**The Bloodshed After The War**

**Chapter One: The Problem With Being Yourself**

The war was finally over. Voldemort was dead and peace was restored thanks to Harry Potter's legendary duel with the Dark Lord. The Ministry was busy cleaning up the mess the Death Eaters had left in their wake.

Harry was relieved. He had only seven months left and he would graduate. The Auror program was heavily recruiting him as well as three professional Quidditch teams. However, all he wanted to do now was spend a little time by himself, escaping the demanding public image he had created.

He was no Golden boy of the Light. In fact, it was only due to large amounts of sunscreen that he was able to go out without getting a painful sunburn in a matter of minutes. In his third year, Remus had shown him a more effective potion that he took every other day to protect his sensitive skin.

He had to admit, Remus was the best professor he ever had. He learned defense, but more importantly, he learned about himself and his family.

He never thought that he was called a freak because of the random things that happened around him. No, he always thought it was because small animals disappeared around him. The whole neighborhood blamed him for their dead or missing pets. For once, they were right.

For as long as he could remember, rats and mice met their doom to slake his thirst. Considering how often his aunt and uncle punished him by withholding food, it ended up being a good thing that he truly craved an alternative diet.

After he got Hedwig, it became so much easier to get what he craved. When she went hunting, she would always remember to bring him something back.

Hedwig was the first improvement in his life. Remus was the second. Come to find out, he was not as much of a freak as he thought he was. Apparently, the Potter line repeatedly bred with vampires. It happened so often in the past that it was common for Potters to turn before the age of seventeen. The more magically powerful were born vampires, which was the case with Harry.

The Marauders were well aware of the Potter family's dirty secret and swore an Unbreakable Vow to never reveal it to anyone else. Eventually, that Vow grew to include Harry and to protect his secret until the day they died.

In fifth year, when he stayed at Grimmauld Place, Sirius and Remus covered for him and made sure he was taken aside once a day to feed. Being a magical vampire, he was lucky. Any muggles that were turned were much more sensitive to sunlight and could not conceal their pale skin. They were easy to identify by sight if the person knew what to look for.

All vampires could withdraw their fangs enough so that they merely looked like sharp canines. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about their stunning eyes. It was why he and his father wore glasses. They had perfect eyesight, but the glass helped to conceal their unnatural shine.

Vampires were naturally agile and had exceedingly quick reflexes. Considering the common beliefs and prejudice about vampires, it was helpful in getting out of tight spots that feeding usually put them in.

The Ministry, in its desire to protect the public and prevent anymore uprisings of Dark Lords, decided to create harsher laws against Dark Creatures. The laws against werewolves had been in existence for the past century and were easily carried out since it was impossible to hide their frequent absences due to the full moon.

But werewolves were only dangerous three nights out of the month. Vampires were dangerous all of the time. This was only increased by their ability to assimilate into muggle society and the wizarding vampires' ability to perfectly conceal their physical differences.

In order to combat this, the Ministry opened a new division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement called the Department of Vampire Control, or simply, Hunters.

Harry was at a loss for what to do. He had already sacrificed his childhood for the well-being of the Wizarding World, but he doubted that he would be left alone if word got out that he was a vampire. He only had Remus to talk to about this new development, but he was out of reach and these were not things he would trust to a letter.

He decided to sound out his best friends' opinions and hope they would stand by him in this new conflict like they did in the last.

Harry made his way up to the Gryffindor Common Room, silently practicing the conversation he wanted to start with his friends without leading them to the correct conclusions. He felt rather blessed that Hermione never figured out what he was, especially since the segment on vampires Remus conducted in third year.

The Fat Lady smiled at him and opened as he spoke the password, "Unity".

Seventh years were sprawled about the chairs with various job pamphlets, trying desperately to make a responsible decision and yet still be happy with their chosen paths. Harry scanned the crowd, but did not see Ron or Hermione anywhere.

Suddenly, the calm was disturbed by a raucous shout. "Yes! I've been accepted! They actually wanted me! I figured the extra training would pay off and get me into the Auror program; but this is even better!"

Harry swiveled his head to spot Ron flying down the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory. Hermione was following quickly after him. He was waving a piece of parchment around and jumping around frantically. Hermione had a broad grin across her face, clearly proud of whatever news Ron had just gotten.

"Harry, mate, you'll never believe what's just happened!"

"Okay Ron, calm down. What's this good news you're yelling about and disturbing everyone else with?"

"I've got accepted to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Not just any department either; but the highest paying division, the Department of Vampire Control. I'm going to be a Hunter mate!"

Harry's smile wavered, but he managed to hold it plastered to his face. "Oh really? Wow, that's really… something."

Harry turned to Hermione, hoping for a voice of reason, or at least a voice of conservatism. She was the one who preached for house elf rights. There was no way she would support the senseless killing of vampires. "What do you think of this Mione? You're engaged to the fellow. What do you think of being the wife of a Hunter?"

Hermione had a dopey look on her face, bordering on hero worship. "This is more prestigious than being an Auror, Harry. Not to mention better paying. The clean up from the war is nearly over. There's a new threat now. The vampires are dangerous. It's better for everyone if we get rid of the threat now before they have a chance to take over the spot left by the vanquishing of Voldemort. You know Harry, maybe you should apply there. I know the Aurors have been after you since last June, but this is a much better opportunity. Just think, maybe you two could be partners, the perfect team!"

Harry did not know how to react. There his two best friends were, happy that Ron had gotten a job, but he just could not feel content with this. His best friend of seven years had just taken a job to train to kill him. It left one thing completely clear, he could not talk about his problems to either of them. "I don't know. I'm kind of tired of all of the fighting. It's why I haven't accepted the offers I've been given for the Auror program. This just sounds like it would be even worse. And besides, it's a really new division, who knows if it will even last long enough to make a career out of it. The laws may be changed soon and make the department irrelevant. That doesn't sound too dependable to me."

Harry was looking everywhere but at Ron and Hermione. He was trying to find a way to gracefully exit the Common Room so that he could find someplace to sit and think quietly. It was to no avail though.

"What do you mean, undependable? The only time this job will be gone is when we've hunted down every last one of them and left them nothing but a pile of ashes," Ron exclaimed.

Harry shook his head. He felt sorry for Ron. Their friendship was over and he did not even realize it yet. "If you say so mate." Harry glanced around the room once more. "Look, I think I'm going to head out to Hagrid's and see how he's doing. See you around."

Harry turned around and walked out of the portrait door. He had a larger problem now than he did an hour ago. He was officially on the Dark side of this war and it was not even by his choosing. Of course, in another light, it was actually the Wizarding World playing the bad guys and even though he was a Dark Creature, he was still on the Light side. The constant role switching was not making his headache any better. A conversation with Hagrid over a cup of tea would be just the thing to soothe his frazzled nerves. After all, the man was half giant, he doubted he would agree with these ridiculous new laws.

The dark haired teen made his way out onto the grounds just as the sun was setting behind the Forbidden Forest. The hut that stood on the edge of the forest had smoke coming out the tiny, rickety chimney. The windows glowed a warm orange that beckoned to Harry as he sought friendly guidance.

Harry knocked on the door several times before hearing a muffled reply, "Comin', comin'." The door creaked open as Hagrid looked out, a baffled look on his face. "'Arry, what're yeh doin' out 'ere at this time o' night. It's dangerous."

"I know Hagrid. I just wanted to get away from the Common Room for a little while. Can I come in?"

"Sure yeh can, 'Arry." Hagrid stepped aside and let Harry make his way into the one-roomed cabin and took a seat by the fire.

"Would yeh like some tea there?"

"Yes, that would be great," Harry grabbed the cup a gently brought it to his lips. He may not truly like human food, but tea was passable and even enjoyable when it was hot enough.

"So, wha' brings yeh out 'ere? I doubt it was jus' ta see me," Hagrid said as he sat in the seat opposite Harry.

Harry gave a small smile. "You're right. I was just tired about hearing about all of the vampire mess up at the castle. Ron's just gotten accepted as a Hunter and Hermione is really proud of him. It seems like the only topic for discussion right now."

"Ah 'Arry, ya've done yer part. No one expects yeh to race off and fight the next evil. I don' blame yeh for not joinin' them right away. But don' worry, there's still plenty o' time before yeh have to make a decision about what yeh want to do."

A frown flickered across Harry's face. It sounded like Hagrid actually supported the war against the vampires. He was happy that Hagrid understood his reasons for not going into the Auror training program. But something just seemed off about his whole tone. "Hagrid, what do _you_ think about the Ministry's new policies about vampires?" Harry mentally crossed his fingers.

"Vampires? Met several o' them in Romania a while back. Nasty lot, they are. Now, I may not 'ave met all o' them, but I can tell yeh right now that no good's ever come o' those creatures. Fer once the Ministry is in the right o' things. I can assure yeh, 'Arry, that the Ministry and the Hunters'll take care o' the problem right quick, don't yeh worry about it." With that Hagrid patted Harry on his knee.

Harry gave a weak smile and set his half empty tea cup down. "Well, thanks for the tea Hagrid, I really appreciated it. It's getting late, I think I'm going to head back up to the castle. Good night." With that, Harry slipped out of the hut and made his way across the dark grounds to the castle that he had always thought of as his first home. He did not know how much longer he could keep thinking of it as home though. With the way everything was spiraling out of control, it was only a matter of time before he would have to flee the Wizarding World. He only hoped that he would be able to graduate before that time came.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

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The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously: _

_With the way everything was spiraling out of control, it was only a matter of time before he would have to flee the Wizarding World. He only hoped that he would be able to graduate before that time came._

**Chapter Two: To Teach War**

The next day was not any better for Harry. Apparently the vampire community found out about the laws and were beyond angry; they were furious. Several Aurors who had been sneaking around vampire strongholds and safe houses had turned up dead the next day. It was unclear if the Aurors had decided to take the initiative and attack first, or if the vampires had already taken a no-tolerance policy. Either way, it meant open war between the Vampire and Wizarding Communities.

Breakfast was a record breaking disaster. As everyone's copies of the _Daily Prophet_ landed beside their meals, the announcements started a school-wide panic. It was even more spectacular than the mess Quirrel had created by announcing that there was a troll loose in the school.

_**Minister Declares Open War Against Vampires**_

**Special Correspondent: Vibridus Slane**

_In a press conference early this morning, the Minister stated, "The vampires have attacked four Aurors, killing three. The fourth is in critical condition in St. Mungo's. This shows open hostility and we cannot shirk from our responsibilities to protect the people. The Vampires must be stopped at all costs. I have asked the Wizengamot to allocate more funding for the newly created Department of Vampire Control and I am confident that we will receive it. I refuse to allow Darkness to overtake our community after such a long and arduous battle against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Never again will we fear for our lives."_

_Not only has the Minister appropriated funds to improve this new division in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he has also set aside funds for new wards to be installed at Hogwarts to protect our children from the growing threat. Expert Curse-Breakers and Warders will be sent to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade to ensure that no vampire can enter the grounds. It is comforting to know that our Minister is doing all he can to protect our present and our future._

Harry put down the paper with a sigh. This was going to become much more difficult than he had already imagined it to be. He did not know one thing about these types of wards. Anti-apparition and anti-portkey were fairly obvious and straight forward; they merely prevented magical travel, which was geared to a spell tracer. But he had no idea how would they guarantee that all vampires would be excluded, both wizarding and traditional. For that matter, he did not know if it would affect someone already residing in the castle. It was possible that the moment the wards were activated he would be shoved brutally outside and his secret left open for everyone to know. He needed to find out details about these wards.

Albus Dumbledore stood up from the Head Table. "Silence! If everyone would please remain calm. I received word from the Minister immediately before breakfast about these wards. They will be erected as soon as possible. The team that has been commissioned will be arriving this evening and will start their initial scouting tomorrow morning. I assure you, you will all be perfectly safe within the castle. Hogsmeade trips will be canceled until the wards are fully operational. Classes will continue as scheduled."

Dumbledore sat down heavily into his chair, a small frown creasing his brow. Harry noticed his expression. If there was one person that would be on his side, regardless of what he was, it would be Albus Dumbledore. The man may be slightly manipulative, but he went through great lengths to make sure that Harry made it through the Final Battle the victor. He still had the irritating habit of keeping secrets from people, but with a man that old, there were bound to be many secrets. Harry just hoped that this could be one of them.

Harry continued to glance up at the Headmaster throughout breakfast as he casually moved his eggs around to make it seem like he had eaten. The man was lost in thought and clearly troubled. The only question was whether he was troubled about a new war or if he was troubled that the Wizarding World had not learned its lesson about bigotry. Harry hoped it was the latter.

He was disturbed from his thoughts by one of the most ridiculous and ignorant comments he had heard. "Those stupid vampires. They don't know what they're in for now. Just you wait Mione. When I'm a Hunter, they'll run in fear from me."

Harry was torn between snickering at Ron's idiocy and depression. He resolved to just reserve a mental laugh at the thought that the boy could not even tell that his roommate of nearly seven years was a vampire. Some Hunter he would make.

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Ron's constant bragging was getting on his nerves. They had only just gotten to Charms class and he had not stopped yet. He had just finished going over the importance of the wards that would be erected during the week for the second time already that day.

Harry sat down in a seat slightly behind his two supposed best friends and prepared to review the finer points of the eye color glamour charms that they had been studying the past week. They had to be sure to get them right or else the person could be permanently blinded. The eye was much more sensitive than hair or skin, which made this type of glamour extremely complicated.

Professor Flitwick entered the room looking slightly flustered before standing on his usual stack of books and addressing the class. "There has been a slight change of plans in the course materials. Due to the situation we find ourselves in, the School Board feels that we would spend our time best to teach you what you will need to know to protect yourselves from a vampire attack. We will be pushing back our regular course work until next week."

Harry started to slip down into his seat. He wanted nothing more than to vanish on the spot. Now, he had to protect himself from attacks that could prove fatal to himself without drawing suspicion. This was becoming more and more complicated as the minutes rolled by.

"Now, as everyone should know, a Vampire is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Non-wizarding Vampires are known to spontaneously combust in direct sunlight. Not much is known about their magical brethren, except that the result is not as immediate. So, today, we will practice the Sunlight Charm."

Harry felt relieved that he had taken his potion that morning. If this lesson had been tomorrow, the potion would have been weaker and he probably would have ended the class with a serious case of sunburn. As it was, he would just have to be careful not to step directly into anyone else's beam of light.

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He had officially had it; casting sunlight in Charms, conjuring stakes in Transfiguration, anatomy of the vampire in Defense, not a single subject was safe. He was already on edge enough as it was. But now, he was constantly jumping at the slightest of sound. His nerves were frazzled. He had one more class before the day was over -- Potions.

Professor Snape burst through the doors with a dramatic flair as he always did. It seemed that the rumor that he was really a vampire had once again resurfaced and was circulating throughout the school. Most of the student body, excluding the Slytherins, were betting on when he would be discovered. Harry knew better. The man was simply vicious and had a taste for melodrama, but he was still mortal.

"As I am sure you are aware, the curriculum has been modified since this insurrection of sorts. So, instead of continuing with our previously scheduled and highly _useful_ healing potion, we will be brewing the Shade of Night Potion."

Harry froze. There was no way that he would get out of this unless he deliberately ruined the potion. The problem was that he could brew this particular potion in his sleep and in under twenty minutes. For once, he was praying for Neville to create a catastrophic accident or for Malfoy to have a spark of the old antagonistic Draco before his entire family was sentenced to Azkaban, leaving him with the responsibilities of a Lord. Harry sneaked a glance to see that familiar pale face instead looking somber and focused on his task. Neville, thankfully, looked just as nervous as he always did. There was hope in that direction at least.

"This potion is ingested by Vampires to lessen the effects of the sun. Non-magical Vampires cannot go outside without drinking this potion every day. However, Wizarding Vampires have a stronger immunity to the sun and the potion lasts longer in their system. It is generally recommended that they take the potion once every other day, but can go for as long as four days if they avoid direct sunlight. Muggle sunscreens have been known to work well on Magical Vampires as a temporary substitute for the potion and reduces the chances of sunburn as long as they are not in direct sunlight for more than four hours consecutively.

"Once you are finished with your potions, we will discuss the differences in color and texture between it and similar looking potions. You have half an hour. Begin."

Harry slowly made his way to the storage cabinet. He felt like he was sleep-walking through his ingredient gathering. He placed his small collection of herbs and other magical parts at his workspace before deftly reaching for the main ingredient and base for the potion, nightshade.

Ron leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Why are we learning to make this? Wouldn't it be better to learn the antidote to weaken them? I bet he's just having us make it as an excuse to cover his own use of it."

"Mr. Weasley, can you not focus on your own work? For once in his educational career, Mt. Potter is correctly brewing a potion. Are you so selfish that you wish to drag his grade down with yours? You may not need your Potions NEWT anymore, but if he wishes to actually get into the Auror program, he still needs to pass this class. So cease and desist your incessant nattering!"

Ron shrunk back with a glare and a muttered, "Vampire!" under his breath.

Harry felt mildly guilty for wishing for an accident or even contemplating deliberately ruining his potion. He realized that the compliments were only there as a way to shame Ron, but they were still present. Placing the last ingredient, fox glove, into the cauldron, he sat back to wait for it to turn a light ecru before turning off the flame and letting it cool for several minutes. He pulled out a vial and took a sample of his potion. Harry casually contemplated taking several vials for his own use, but quickly discarded that idea because of the probability that he would be caught.

He placed his sample on Snape's desk. The dark professor quickly examined the content in his vial and gave a brief nod.

Harry slipped back behind his cauldron and absent-mindedly toyed with his quill.

"If you potions are correctly brewed, you should be done by now. If it is not an ecru color, vanish the contents of your cauldron and look off a neighbor."

Ron scowled at his bright red sludge and quickly said, "Evanesco". He scooted his stool closer to Harry and peered into the pewter cauldron.

Snape proceeded to prowl about the classroom, carefully noting which student got the potion correct and which were forced to share. "This potion can commonly be mistaken for several more human ones. The most obvious is the nutrient potion. The dosages of the nutrient potion and the frequency between doses is the same. Even the colors are similar. The nutrient potion is closer to a gray; however a slightly misbrewed one could have the same exact ecru color. The only tell-tale difference between the two at that point is texture. The Shade of Night Potion has a near water consistency whereas the nutrient potion, incorrectly brewed or not, is thicker and tends to stick to the sides of the container it is in. It is very difficult to determine the differences between the two without a sample and ample time to study it. However, Vampires have never been known to be so foolish as to leave this potion unguarded. It is essential for them to pass in normal society and as such, it is too important to be left in the open where it could be tampered with."

Harry zoned out at this point. He was well aware of what potions could commonly be mistaken with the Shade of Night, in fact, he commonly used this to his advantage. His friends were well aware of the mistreatment he suffered at the Dursley's and that he was undernourished. He always kept a stash of nutrient potion on the top of his trunk. In actuality, he was drinking the Shade of Night, but none of the other boys had ever noticed the switch.

"Hey Harry."

"Yeah."

"Don't you have a stash of nutrient potion in our room?"

Harry knew it was too good to last. He slowly nodded, pretending that he was avoiding Snape's notice.

"Would you mind taking an extra sample from your cauldron to bring back to the room so that we can compare the two?"

Harry turned his head slightly to speak to Ron, "You mean you actually found something Snape taught us useful? I think I'm going to hide, the world is clearly ending."

"Very funny Harry." Ron sat back down in his stool and paid attention to the rest of the lecture, much to everyone's surprise, including Professor Snape's.

They packed up the rest of their books and Ron took a sample of Harry's potion to compare with the nutrient potion in their dorm. Never before was he so happy that he had a password-activated false bottom in his trunk.

He made a mental note to approach the Headmaster the next day about the wards and see his take on the whole debacle was. He had a limited amount of time to find a solution for this new problem as the Warders and the Curse-Breakers were showing up that night and beginning their preliminary scans the first thing the morning the next day.

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A/N: These will be much shorter chapters than Founders' Heirs because there is less to explain and I can't justify the need to write 16 page chapters for a much less intricate story.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

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The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously: _

_He made a mental note to approach the Headmaster the next day about the wards and see his take on the whole debacle was. He had a limited amount of time to find a solution for this new problem as the Warders and the Curse-Breakers were showing up that night and beginning their preliminary scans the first thing the morning the next day._

**Chapter Three: The Dangers of Protection**

Harry was nervous. The assorted team of twenty Warders and Curse-Breakers had appeared for breakfast that morning. They had their own table set up close to the Head Table so that they did not have to sit with the students. This did not stop them from visiting, though.

"Hey guys!" A cool looking guy with long red hair and earring said, ruffling Harry's and Ron's hair.

"Hey Bill," Harry greeted.

Bill sat down between the two and looked at his younger brother. "Mum told me about your job. Congratulations! You managed to get action, adventure and a position in the Ministry all in one."

Bill paused and looked at the silent young man on his other side. "So, have you picked a job yet? Everyone keeps going on about the next Mad Eye Moody. Hopefully you don't actually have to lose an eye to get the same type of reputation."

Harry smirked. "Didn't you know? I already have an equal reputation and all I have is this nifty scar," he said, pointing to his lightning bolt scar above his right eye.

Bill laughed at Harry's snarky response. He patted him on the shoulder, "That you do!"

Ron beamed at his eldest brother. "How long are you going to be here for?" He rarely got to talk to his brother. The ability to finally address Bill as an equal was still novel to him, and Ron simply could not get enough of it. They had only been in the Order together for a few months before the final battle. Bill was focused on Goblin relations and the wards surrounding the Light's bases. Ron, however, was a fighter and was often caught actively defending Harry as he went after the Dark Lord's generals.

Bill gave a lop-sided grin. "I don't know. We only have to install one particular ward, but the area is so large and magically saturated that it could take as much as a week to fully install. Of course, if someone was persuasive enough, I may hang around a few days extra."

Ron smiled back. "If the all-you-can eat meals aren't enough, I don't know what else I could say to get you to stay."

"You have a point there, little brother."

Harry did not want to let this opportunity pass him by. He could not think of a better person to ask about the intricacies of the wards than one of the people actually building them. He silently prayed for Hermione to be her typical self and start the discussion so that his questions would not seem so out of place.

Hermione leaned forward, her signature look of inquisitiveness on her face. Harry barely contained a small cheer for her predictability.

"We've all heard about how Wizarding Vampires are harder to detect than normal ones. How do the wards compensate for that? Or do you need to set up a stronger ward to prevent the magical ones from getting on to the Grounds?"

Bill grinned at his younger brother's girlfriend. "Actually, we base the wards off of the similarities of the two breeds, so we only need to set up one. In the end, the only real difference between the two is the same as the difference between us and muggles. The only reason they can hide so well is because of their subconscious use of magic."

Harry took advantage of this opening. "What would happen if there was a vampire in the castle when the wards were erected? Would they be forcefully expelled from the castle, or stuck inside?"

Bill looked at him thoughtfully. "You mean like if one of the students were a vampire?"

Harry nodded his head once.

Hermione looked stunned at his insightful question. He decided to back off of the subject to make sure that she did not have any reasons to investigate his curiosity.

"Well, a traditional ward would merely prevent it from crossing the barrier, effectively locking the vampire within the boundaries of the wards. However, there is so much ambient magic here to fuel them that it is highly likely that they could be forcibly removed, if not destroyed, by the sudden influx of magic that would attack them."

Ron got a slightly sadistic gleam in his eyes. "You mean they would explode?"

Bill nodded, "Or implode."

Harry blanched. He needed to talk to Dumbledore. He would rather not graduate than to risk it and have his innards spread all over the castle because he was too stubborn to leave.

Hermione grabbed his hand. "Harry, are you alright? You look rather pale."

Harry gave her a brief reassuring grin. "Yes 'Mione, I'm fine."

Ron peered around his brother, "Hey, think about it as an extra security measure, mate. Once the wards are up, we will all know for certain that there are no vampires in the castle. I bet Snape will be turning in his resignation any day now."

Bill frowned briefly. "I don't think Professor Snape is actually a vampire, Ron. Most are much more diligent at hiding their deviant natures. Snape just uses his dark aura to come off as more intimidating and keep students in line."

Ron grumbled. He may not have listened to reason from Hermione or Harry, but he knew that Bill knew what he was talking about.

Bill just smiled lightly. "Don't worry about it, baby brother. You aren't expected to be able to tell the difference yet. That's what your training is for. It takes a well-experienced Hunter a lot of time tracking and monitoring of trends to successfully identify a Wizarding Vampire. By the way, when _is_ your training starting?"

Ron's grin nearly split his face in two. "The first session is on Friday. They've accepted two other students into the program and are going to train us together. They want us to be fully prepared by the time we leave school in June. Until then, we'll be partnered with someone older. Supposedly, they've taken several Aurors and transferred them into the new department. They have already had some experience with Dark Creatures so they'll be doing our preliminary training."

Harry felt like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. In fact, he was convinced of it. There was no way he was going to survive this school year sane. At least before, he had only had one homicidal maniac after him. Now, he had an entire department, which included his best friend and possibly several others that he had grown close to.

He got up from the table and earned several odd stares for his early departure. "Sorry guys, I forgot my Herbology book in the dorm. I'll see you there." He quickly left the Great Hall and headed up towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He came to a screeching halt when a bright, white light came out of nowhere and struck the railing directly in front of him. He turned his head in the direction of the light and prepared himself for a full-out attack.

Standing in the middle of the hallway was a very embarrassed Dennis Creevy. "Oops, sorry, Harry. I was just practicing the Sunlight Charm that Professor Flitwick was teaching yesterday. I guess my aim still hasn't improved much."

"Not a problem, Dennis," Harry said, barely concealing the tremble in his voice. It was bad enough that he had Herbology in the greenhouses today for three hours. He did not need to be blasted with concentrated sunlight because some Fifth Year could not aim properly.

Quickly making his way around the petite boy, Harry ran up the remaining stairs and locked the door to the Boys' Seventh Year dorm. He opened his trunk and lifted out the top contents. Carefully, he placed his hand on the false bottom and muttered, "Sanguinus." A small needle pricked his hand and identified his blood before opening to reveal three vials of Shade of Night, a full jar of dried foxglove, three-quarters of a jar of Common Welsh Green Dragon's Blood, a miniature vial with eyedropper of rattlesnake venom, and bags of shredded asphodel, datura and sage. However, the most important ingredient was extremely low. He only had half of the amount of nightshade that he would need to brew more potion. If this were a normal situation, he would not be so worried. But, with all of these classes teaching different ways to take advantage of his weaknesses, he could not afford to use the Shade of Night sparingly. His run in with Dennis was enough proof of that. He would be found out very quickly if he was caught in a beam and all of a sudden had sunburn on his exposed skin. This meant that he only had three days left, including the dose he was about to take.

He determined to find an alternative way to buy nightshade. It would be very suspicious if he owl ordered a large shipment of it now. Harry was sure that nightshade sales were being closely monitored in all of the respectable apothecaries. That only left him with the option of stealing it from the Potions storage cupboard or sneaking out of the castle to make a trip to Knockturn Alley. Professor Snape was notoriously paranoid about his potions ingredients. If he stole from there, even if he did not get caught in the act, it would alert the staff that someone was brewing a potion with a large nightshade base. There were only three potions he knew of that were created that way. One was a healing potion that was highly addictive and regulated and the other was a Dark poison that Voldemort liked to use on his torture victims.

Harry pulled out one of the last three remaining vials and quickly downed the ecru fluid. It felt like cold fingers were inching their way over his body and penetrating into his skin. Once the cold settled over him, he locked the false bottom again and replaced the top contents back into his trunk. He grabbed his Herbology book and stuffed it in his bag before running down the stairs and towards the greenhouses.

The daylight prickled uncomfortably on his skin, but he was used to it by now. Back at Privet Drive, it used to be much worse. He only had sunscreen to protect him then and he had to make sure to stay in the shade as much as possible. The potion truly did work wonders. He would always be grateful to Remus for making his life so much more comfortable.

Harry slipped into Greenhouse Number Four just as the bell rang signaling the start of class. Professor Sprout gave him a slightly disapproving glance before beginning her lecture. "Despite the current curriculum changes in the majority of the rest of your classes, there are no known plants that directly harm a vampire. The urban legend of garlic preventing a vampire from crossing the threshold is just that, a legend. Instead, we shall focus on several rarer plants that we have been commissioned to grow for the Department of Vampire Control. These plants are used in a powder. When mixed properly, the dust can be thrown at a vampire and it temporarily short circuits their unique form of glamour. This will prove to be essential in identifying Wizarding Vampires. As I am sure all of you have heard repeatedly the last few days, Wizarding Vampires appear completely normal and can even pass off the feeling of warmth. When this specially designed powder is released, their glamour falls and they cannot hide what they are."

This was news to Harry. He had never heard of anything like this powder before. Remus made sure to keep him up to date on anything he would have to be cautious around. It must have been a new development. Harry shuddered to think how exactly they found the right recipe and how many tests they had to perform on a vampire to get the desired results. He knew that he did not want to be anywhere near Ron when he first got his allotment of powder. Ron had a tendency to show off and Harry had the feeling that it would include blowing the powder everywhere in some form of misguided male posturing.

Harry resigned himself to carefully repotting the plants that would one day soon be a part of a powder that would leave him bare for the world to see. He never liked attention and the thought of his last mask falling sent cold shivers down his spine.

**

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A/N: Okay, somehow this story is coming together really quickly. I'm already working on the next chapter, so I'll see when I can get it up.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

_Harry resigned himself to carefully repotting the plants that would one day soon be a part of a powder that would leave him bare for the world to see. He never liked attention and the thought of his last mask falling sent cold shivers down his spine._

**Chapter Four: To Need an Ally**

It was quiet in the hallways. It was just after nine o' clock in the evening and the lower years were restricted to their respective Common Rooms for the rest of the evening. Only a few stray upper years could be seen wandering, most of them were in the library working in the near silence.

The Warders were done with their preliminary scans of the Hogwarts grounds and were ready to tackle the first phase of construction in the morning. Harry was hoping that he would have had at least one more day of respite before having to throw himself to the mercy of the Headmaster and leader of the Light. He had no idea how he was going to broach the subject with the man he had come to respect as some form of surrogate grandfather.

Taking a deep breath, Harry approached the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's Office and muttered, "Fainting Fancies." The gargoyle moved out of the way with a groan and Harry ascended the stairs slowly, pausing at the ornately carved doors. Stealing himself, he gathered the last remnants of his courage and knocked on the door.

He heard a distinct, "Enter," and pushed the doors open to reveal a tired and worn looking Albus Dumbledore sitting behind his desk.

"Ah, Harry. What can I do for you this evening?"

Harry cautiously approached the desk and sat in the chair in front of the aging wizard. Harry swallowed, then began, "I have a few questions and concerns I need to talk to you about Headmaster."

"Of course my dear boy. And you know that you can call me Albus." It was clear that the Headmaster was trying to get Harry more comfortable with what he had come to discuss. However, he just seemed to become flustered and more agitated. "Perhaps you could tell me the topic you would like to discuss and we can go from there."

Harry nodded. "Well sir, I am rather concerned about this vampire situation."

He was about to elaborate, but was cut off by Dumbledore. "You do not need to fret Harry, the castle is very secure and once the wards are up you will not need to worry about your or your friends' protection."

This was not the response Harry was looking for. He was about to get up and leave the office. He knew he owned several properties; he was sure that he could hide out in one of them. Perhaps he would finish his schooling later. Technically, he was already an adult and legally permitted to practice magic outside of school. His mixed emotions must have been clear on his face because his mental ramblings were interrupted by a gentle voice. "I assume that was not the aspect you wished to discuss with me."

Harry glanced up and saw a small twinkle return to the old wizard's eyes. "No sir. I am concerned that the Wizarding World hasn't learned its lesson. We just won a war that was fought because of the prejudices towards other people. The Wizarding World got what it wanted, equal treatment for all of its citizens. But now, it's doing just what Voldemort did. Except this time it's the majority acting, not the minority." Harry voice had risen and grown more confident as he proceeded.

Dumbledore gave a soft smile. "Once again Mr. Potter, you make me proud. You are absolutely right. Except this time, I have no idea what to do to prevent this war or how to show them that they are being bigoted. The fear and hatred of vampires has lasted centuries, if not millennia. It is something that is so ingrained in the human condition that I doubt that it can be rectified. I am pleased that you see that they are our equals Harry. Perhaps with the two of us working together, we can stop this nonsense before it escalates too far."

Harry slowly shook his head. "I don't know if I'll be able to do that Headmaster."

Dumbledore's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Harry started to toy with the hems on his sleeves. He was looking down and not focusing on anything other than his own thoughts. He was pleased that at least Dumbledore did not agree with the negative propaganda. But that did not stop him from being concerned about where the conversation was now headed.

Slowly, he evened his breathing out so that he could continue, calmly. "Sir, how much do you know of the Potter line?"

Dumbledore sat back, clearly uncertain about where Harry was going with this line of questioning, but was willing to go along with it because it was clearly part of what was troubling the young man. "They are one of the oldest pureblood families. Most of the Potters have been in Gryffindor with one or two in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. They are one of the few pureblooded families that has avoided too much inbreeding, despite their age. Other than that, I don't know too much more."

Harry nodded again. "That is about all that anyone knows sir. But there is a reason that inbreeding has been kept to such a minimum. The Potters have a tendency to marry other beings and have done so for the last one thousand years. More specifically, the only other type of being that the Potters have married have been vampires."

Dumbledore leaned forward again, "Harry, what are you getting at?"

Harry gazed steadily at the Headmaster, he was determined to get through the rest of the conversation. "We have bred so much and so often with vampires, that many of us have become vampires. My grandfather did not have enough magic to complete the change and he remained human. My father, however, turned at the age of ten. My mother and father were so magically gifted that I was born a vampire."

The office was silent. He had finally said it. Now, his future resided in the hands of another. He trusted Dumbledore; but it was far easier to trust a man who had already sworn a Wizarding Oath to keep your secrets until their death.

Dumbledore softly spoke, "Harry, would you let me see your true face?"

He was momentarily stunned by this tacit request. He had been prepared for many reactions, anything between calm acceptance to calling in the Aurors. However, he had not expected the Headmaster to want to see his vampiric form. "Um ... Okay."

Harry slid his glasses off of his face and tucked them into his pocket. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of wanting to hide and let it disappear. Slowly reopening his eyes, he was startled to see Dumbledore kneeling in front of him.

"Oh my dear boy, it never ceases for you, does it?" Dumbledore's aging hand made its way to touch Harry's cold, pale cheek. His soft blue eyes locked with Harry's shimmering, unnatural emerald eyes.

Harry's voice trembled, "Professor, I don't know what to do." As he spoke, small white fangs could be seen.

Dumbledore placed his hands on Harry's knees. Harry could not restrain himself any longer. All of the problems that had been building came pouring out of his mouth. "I can't believe it. After all that's happened, they pass this _stupid_ law. Now, I'm running from my friends and they don't even know it. I can't ever remember being afraid of Ron and Hermione; but now I fear for my life every time we go to class. All of the hateful things people are saying is making it hard for me to keep my mask. People are practicing the Sunlight Charm in the hallways. I've had to boost how often I take the Shade of Night potion just to make sure that I don't get a suspicious sunburn from being shot by a poorly aimed spell. Ron keeps bragging about being a Hunter and how he'll make sure that 'all of those creatures are nothing more than dust'. And now these _wards_. I asked Bill about how they worked. Apparently, if I'm still in the castle when they go up, chances are that I'll explode from the sheer amount of magical backlash."

Tears were streaming down Harry's cold cheeks as he vented all of the problems that had come from this latest Ministerial Decree.

"Oh my poor boy." Dumbledore's hands enveloped him a warm embrace as Harry wept at the injustice he was facing. He merely held the young vampire until his muffled sobs quieted and was calm enough to continue. Harry sat back in his chair.

"I think I have the answer to your most pressing problem at least." Dumbledore rose from his knees and started searching through his desk drawers. "Ah, here we go." He pulled his hand out from the back of the desk drawer and held it up for Harry to see.

It was a necklace with a small onyx pendant. It was clearly muggle in origin. The necklace itself was made of a black thick twine. The onyx had several fake silver pieces surrounding it and connecting it to the twine. All together, it looked like it may have only cost a few pounds in an accessory store. "We will charm this necklace to key you into the wards. As I am sure you are aware, you cannot take this off for any reason, not even to shower."

Dumbledore casually waved his wand over the necklace, before it glowed slightly blue. "There you go now; the most pressing problem is solved."

Harry took the necklace and quickly clasped it around his neck. He instantly felt more secure and gave the Headmaster a thankful grin.

"Now, there is nothing I can do about Mr. Weasley or these changes in the curriculum. I _can_ guarantee you that these lessons will be done at the end of the week and classes will go back to normal. However, I must warn you that the Hunter training program will be taking place in the Defense classroom. I will continue trying to get these laws repealed. But you are right, if you say too much, it would bring too much suspicion on you."

Dumbledore grew silent as he contemplated the young vampire in front of him. "Harry, you have managed to deceive everyone, including me, for seven years. I am confident that you will be fine for the remainder of the year. I highly doubt that anyone would expect the Hero of the Light to be a vampire. As long as you are careful and do not noticeably change your habits, you should be fine."

Harry nodded. "Sir, what am I to do about the powder? I highly doubt Ron will be able to control himself when he first gets it. He tends to show off when he gets new things and this will be no exception."

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his forehead with one wrinkled hand. "I believe that is a bridge we will have to cross when we get there. It will take some time before the trainees are giving their own bags of Revealing Powder. I will make sure to tell them that it is so expensive and rare that it must be reserved for situations when they truly believe that they are faced with a Magical Vampire. Hopefully that will keep Mr. Weasley from tossing it about in the Common Room."

Harry grimaced. It was better than nothing, but the odds were that Ron would still feel the need to show Hermione and him and some point. Hopefully, that would just involve opening the bag and seeing the contents.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, concern clearly etched into with weathered face.

"No Headmaster. I will stop by the kitchens for my dinner and then go back to Gryffindor. Would you mind writing me a note so that everyone knows where I was this evening?"

"Of course my boy."

Harry was handed a note in neat, swirling letters and quickly tucked it into his pocket. Feeling his glasses, he pulled them out and fingered them gently. Letting the familiar slide of his vampiric-style glamour slide over him, he gracefully set his glasses on his nose. With that, all traces of the young vampire were gone and Harry Potter was once more the capable Hero of the Wizarding World.

"Thank you Headmaster. Have a good evening." With that, Harry slid into the darkened corridor and made his way to the kitchens and the ever-happy-to-please House Elves.

**

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A/N: Finally, someone is on Harry's side in this whole mess. Of course, since I gave him the most powerful player on the board … Well, I can't make this too easy on Harry, now can I? See you next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

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**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

"_Thank you Headmaster. Have a good evening." With that, Harry slid into the darkened corridor and made his way to the kitchens and the ever-happy-to-please House Elves. _

**Chapter Five: Hiding In Plain Sight**

Harry fingered his necklace. It was nothing impressive and did not draw any real notice until Friday morning. He was up early, taking a shower before breakfast when he was joined by Ron and Seamus. Naturally, they were discussing Ron's upcoming Hunter lesson that would take place that evening in the Defense classroom.

Harry tensed, but continued to wash his hair as if the subject did not matter to him. The two shower heads on his right turned on, muffling the rest of the conversation the two boys were having. He knew that he would have to be more cautious now that Ron would be getting professional training. The way it was sounding, it seemed like the older trainers would be living in guest quarters for the rest of the year to make sure that the three new trainees assimilated into the group faster.

He turned off the warm water and wrapped a white towel around his waist. Still dripping, he made his way over to the sinks to brush his teeth. He would have to go back later to brush his fangs properly, but that could always be done with a moment of free time. The water from the showers behind him turned off and he heard his two fellow Seventh Years wetly pad over to the sinks.

"Hey mate, where'd you get that necklace? I've never seen it before."

Harry turned his head sharply. Ron's hand was dangerously close to the pendant as he tried to get a better view of the new accessory. Harry placed his hand over the onyx and cast his eyes downward. "Remus sent it to me. He's been cleaning out Sirius's things and he found this in a drawer. He thought I might like to have it." He knew this was a low blow, but no one would question his refusal to remove it now.

Ron's hand drew back sharply. "Oh, wow. That was really nice of him." Ron stood there, posed awkwardly, trying to think of something else to say, but came up empty. Instead, he lowered his hand the rest of the way and proceeded to brush his teeth. Seamus followed his example and the rest of the time was spent in awkward silence.

Harry left quickly and returned to the dormitory. The rest of the boys were just getting up and heading to the bathroom. Quickly, he opened the false bottom in his trunk and downed the last vial of Shade of Night. He _had_ to go to Knockturn Alley. The problem was how to slip away with all of the attention being paid to the school. Classes ended early today, so he had several hours of free time before dinner. Ron was going to be busy with his new training. That only left Hermione that he had to slip away from. Considering her study schedule for the NEWTs, he felt that it would not be too difficult, as long as she was immersed in her work.

With a rudimentary plan set, Harry dressed and made his way to breakfast.

* * *

Harry had never been so happy to see the beginning of the weekend. These ridiculous Ministry imposed classes were over and he would not have to watch his back constantly in class. The hallways were still going to be tricky. However, he felt more secure in the knowledge that he would not have to watch thirty spells in a small box at the same time. 

It was just after lunch and Ron made his obvious retreat to go to his training. Harry knew that he would not hear the end of it. By the time Ron calmed down from his first session, it would be time for his next. He winced at the thought of having to fight Ron. He did not like the idea, but he refused to have survived a war and killed the worst Dark Lord in a century to die by the hands of some idiotic Hunter with delusions of grandeur.

Hermione was sitting quietly in a corner of the Common Room, hunched over her Ancient Runes essay. Ever since she received an E on her OWL, she had been obsessive with the subject. If he heard one more complaint about _eihwaz_ versus _ehwaz_, he was tempted to actually give in to his baser desires and rip her throat out, just so that he would not have to hear her incessant whining.

He quietly slipped out of the Common Room and into the hallway. His invisibility cloak was tucked into the deep pocket of a black-hooded cloak. Harry swiftly made his way to the statue of the one-eyed witch and tapped it with his wand, murmuring the password under his breath.

The cellar of Honeyduke's was clear when he arrived, but he knew that the store above would not be. Even though it was not a Hogsmeade weekend, there was always someone in the shop. With all of the extra security being installed, it was highly likely that there would be several customers in the store front, not to mention the owners themselves.

He tossed the large, black cloak over his shoulders and raised the hood. He did not want anyone in Knockturn Alley to be able to see him; it was a dangerous enough trip without being positively identified. He then slid the silky invisibility cloak over himself and exited the cellar. Deftly, he maneuvered around the customers and slipped out the front door as one was leaving.

Harry crossed the street, careful not to bump into anyone. He had been careful about his excursions underneath his cloak since Third Year, when it slipped off and Malfoy had ratted him out to Professor Snape. He paused briefly as the door opened to the Three Broomsticks and quickly entered. The fireplace was located at the back of the restaurant, meaning that he had to be extremely cautious of the customers and servers. Several of the Warders were sitting at the bar discussing their progress. They seemed to be pleased with themselves, occasionally clinking their glasses and offering toasts.

Whatever it was that had them in a good mood, Harry knew that it could only mean trouble for him. Several strides later, he was in front of the Floo. With a surreptitious glance to make sure no one was watching the fireplace, he cast the Floo powder in and whispered, "Knockturn Alley".

One sickening ride later, Harry landed in a dingy pub. The conversation halted when he removed his invisibility cloak and stepped from the fire. All eyes were focused on him. He let his glamour fall; it was better in these parts to be a vampire than Harry Potter.

Letting his pale hands and sharp nails be seen, he adjusted his hood, making sure that it was fully up and no one could see through the shadows it cast. Conversation quickly resumed as the patrons realized that this was a fellow, someone who was in the same position as many of them would soon find themselves if the Ministry continued to make laws banning various Dark Creatures and forms of magic.

Harry made his way through the convoluted and dim alley. Several twists and turns later led him to a dark gray building with dirt encrusted windows. The sign was rusted and illegible. However, the strong scent of herbs and formaldehyde clung to the building and even a human, with their indelicate senses, could tell that this was an apothecary.

The cloaked vampire let himself in and a small bell chimed overhead. The inside was nothing like what the exterior suggested. The wooden shelves were lined and organized with ingredients. There was no dust and every corner was well illuminated with false light. Dried herbs hung in neat rows from the ceiling. The more rare ingredients were held behind the counter in a storeroom that only the manager had access to. With the right amount of money, a person could purchase any potions ingredient in the world. This was the finest apothecary Britain had to offer. However, because it refused to follow Ministry mandates and continued to sell ingredients that were deemed illegal, it could not operate on Diagon Alley.

Harry stepped up to the counter and waited for the clerk to return to the front. He knew that he could get what he wanted, but he was unsure if they would have enough to hold him over until Winter Break.

He heard a faint shuffling coming from the storeroom and grinned when he heard several expletives. It seemed as if his presence was noticed. A man of about thirty with medium brown hair and dark eyes quickly exited the room, brushing dirt from his leather smock. "How can I help you?" The question sounded disinterested, as if he was already aware of what the answer would be; he probably was.

"I need a large stock of nightshade. Enough to last to December, if you have it."

The man nodded. "Yes, yes. You are lucky. I had to turn a vampire away yesterday because my stocks had run out. I expect that she'll be back tonight. Currently, it's my number one seller." The man turned around and reentered the storeroom.

Several thumps and more expletives later, the clerk returned with a large, sealed, black bag. Harry quickly opened the bag to inspect the plant to make sure that he was getting the quality ingredient that he required and the amount that he asked for. Satisfied, he sealed the bag closed.

"That will be thirty galleons."

Harry gave a sigh at the exorbitant price. It was not all that surprising considering the limited amount of suppliers anymore, or the fact that they had to evade the Ministry and importation laws to get enough of the plant to stock. Placing one graceful, pale hand into his outer pocket, he pulled his money bag out and handed the clerk the required galleons.

"Have a nice day." With that, the clerk returned to his unpacking and Harry left the store. Swiftly, he made his way back to the pub he had entered from and Flooed back to Hogsmeade. Checking the time, he realized that he had just over thirty minutes to make it back to Hogwarts before dinner began and his absence was noted.

Already, he could feel a slight tug on his necklace, signaling that the wards were partially erected, but that the charm held fast. As he moved through the tunnel that connected with the third floor corridor, he determined that he would brew the potion in the Room of Requirement once everyone was asleep. Quickly restoring his glamours and removing his two cloaks, he stepped into the hallway and made his way back to Gryffindor to put his belongings away.

* * *

He arrived at dinner only several minutes late. The Headmaster gave him a nearly imperceptible nod and he knew that his absence would be explained away, if necessary. 

Harry silently slid in to his spot next to Ron and proceeded to put the entirely unappetizing fare onto his plate. He did not care one bit what it was. All he had to do was make sure that everyone thought that he was eating. Over the years, he had become fairly proficient at hiding his lack of food intake. Only in his younger years did anyone manage to force this disgusting garbage down his throat. The pumpkin juice was not so bad, not as good as hot tea, but he could get it down without being sick later. At least it kept people from examining his eating habits too closely.

"Harry, you'll never believe all of the things we did today! It was bloody amazing. You know, I'm kinda feeling sorry for those vamps now. There's no way that they will stand a chance against the Hunters. And you'll never guess who I'm teamed up with to learn under!" Ron was becoming so excited that his face was turning an alarming shade of pink. It seemed as if the boy had forgotten to breathe during his whole tirade.

Harry focused on the interesting new shade. He had never seen that particular one before. It was even more impressive than when the Chudley Cannons won a match in the last season.

"And who is that Ron?" Harry responded, asking the obligatory question.

"Tonks!" Ron was beaming. Harry had to admit, at least he was paired with someone closer to his age and that he already knew. It would make his transition a lot easier.

Again, Harry was torn. His thoughts began to take a downward spiral again, when he was snapped out of it by Hermione detailing exactly why Ron had every right to be ecstatic. "Wow Ron, you're really lucky. I bet no one else was partnered with someone they knew. This will be really good for you. She already knows your fighting technique and your abilities. You'll really be able to progress. Of course, anyone of the Aurors in the Order would be able to do the same for you."

"Yeah, you'll never believe who else was transferred into the Hunter Department."

Harry's interest was peaked. "Who?" He was not sure if he truly wanted an answer to that question, but felt that it was better to know now than be shocked when he ran into them.

"Shacklebolt and Moody. Of course, Moody is only there for training purposes. He's not really going to be an active member. He can't move fast enough to chase one of those creatures down or get out of the way if they decide to be stubborn."

Harry was in shock. This just kept getting worse and worse. Tonks was a reliable Auror, but inexperienced when it came to many Dark Creatures. Shacklebolt and Moody, however, had been in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for so long that they knew nearly every trick in the book. Granted, they would still be incapable of singling out a Wizarding Vampire without close monitoring. Harry had been impressed with himself when he managed to train with the both of them for so long and not been found out; so he knew that they could be fooled. However, they were not looking for vampirism at the time. Now they were.

Harry missed Hermione's excited clamor over Ron's new comrades-in-arms and his return comments. Ron was soaking up the adoration from the other Gryffindors. It was one of his deepest desires to stand out in the crowd and he definitely had it now.

Ron grabbed Harry's arm and tugged him up from the table. "Come on, mate. Let me show you what we learned today."

Harry followed behind, the excited red-head dragging him through the corridors and up several flights of stairs to the Defense classroom.

When they entered, there were several dummies scattered about the walls. They each looked like they had taken a beating and were hastily put back together. Their stuffing was oddly dented, marring their vaguely human-like semblance.

"So, you remember that spell we were practicing in Transfiguration to conjure stakes?" Ron asked as he walked over to an empty desk and set his things down on it.

Harry nodded warily, confident that he would not like what was coming next.

"Well, that's just for beginners. If you're stuck in a really bad spot, that will do and could save your life. But the best way is to get them from a distance so that you don't have to worry about being mauled to death."

Ron quickly conjured four stakes and set them on the desk in a line. "Eventually, we'll do this with the stakes attached to our belt. But we run the risk of injuring ourselves if we don't do this right. So right now, we're practicing with them this way."

With a flick of his wrist, Ron propelled a sharp stake across the room and straight into one of the dummies' chests. It hit so hard that stuffing flew out of the sack. In rapid succession, Ron flung the last three stakes into various dummies about the room. All of them hit their marks.

"Of course, it will be much more difficult with a moving target. But we'll get there quickly enough," Ron said with a smug grin.

Harry swallowed and smiled back at the red-head. "That's great." However, the only thought going through his mind at that moment was _oh, crap_.

**

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A/N: I feel talented. Another one done. **


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

_Harry swallowed and smiled back at the red-head. "That's great." However, the only thought going through his mind at that moment was oh, crap._

**Chapter Six: Spies**

Hermione narrowed her eyes. Harry had been acting off ever since the Ministry had started cracking down on Dark Creatures. She had originally brushed it off as anxiousness over his Parseltounge talents. However, he was the only one and there was no way they would target him for the gift that helped destroy Voldemort. No, it was something else.

He was not eating again. She though they had broken him of the habit in his Third Year. Now that she thought about it, he had some fairly odd tendencies. She always blamed his eccentricities on him being the Boy-Who-Lived, but they were oddly familiar. Something was going on with her best-friend and it had been going on for awhile.

Harry left the table early again. She tuned back in to Ron and Bill. Apparently, the wards were completed and it was a guarantee that there were no full-blooded vampires in the castle, grounds or Hogsmeade. They were getting into some rather gruesome details, but Harry had seen much worse. She did not know what drove him to make such a hasty retreat. It was time to visit the library to look up reliable spying Charms. One way or another, she would figure this out.

* * *

She had it, the perfect device. Harry and the rest of the boys were outside playing Quidditch, which left her plenty of time to install it. Thankfully, the boys were messy, it would be even easier to hide her spying device about the room. It was nothing more than a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. But the charm on it allowed her to view anything that was happening in the room through a mirror she had connected it to. Ron was by far the messiest of the boys and had candy littered about his desk and floor. His bed was directly opposite Harry's and would make the perfect spot to view him from. Quickly, she bent down and stuck the gum underneath his desk. She wrinkled her nose in disgust when she felt a couple of other dried pieces already there. He was definitely not going to be allowed to continue _that_ habit when they moved in together. 

Casting one last furtive glance about the room, she left, secure in the knowledge that whatever Harry was hiding, she would soon find out.

* * *

Hermione woke up to an odd buzzing noise coming from underneath her pillow. It was eight o' clock in the morning, on Sunday. Apparently the boys were up. That in and of itself seemed odd to her. Ron was always difficult to get up. She did not want to think about the pain involved in getting the rest of them up. 

She pulled the mirror out of her pocket and saw Ron, of all people, up and dressed. Apparently, none of the other boys were excited about it either. "Would you just shut up! Some of us are trying to enjoy our weekend." Hermione was not sure which of the boys had said it, but it appeared to be the general consensus.

"This is my _first_ full day of training. I can't wait to see what we do today." Ron bounded around his bed, slamming his trunk open and hauling his clothes out.

"Someone stop him. He's channeling Hermione."

Ron scowled at the person in the corner bed. "At least this is useful. And besides, Hermione's gotten us out of quite a few tight spots over the years." He may not have agreed with her obsessive studying, but he did love her and would not hear a word against her.

There was a groan from one of the far beds. "That's it. I'm not going back to sleep after all of this racket. Ron, I swear, if you do this every weekend, the vampires won't get a shot at you, _I'll_ kill you." Hermione watched as Dean groggily made his way out of the room.

Several grumbles later, a disgruntled Seamus and Neville followed him out. Harry was sitting up in bed, watching the red head continue to run about, trying to get organized in time for his lesson.

Ron realized that Harry was the only one left. "Are you getting up too?"

"Are you kidding me? I finally have a year without visions. I'm sure that if I could go back to sleep after some of those, I'll manage dealing with your momentary insanity."

Ron chucked a pillow at his head playfully, which Harry deftly caught.

They were rejoined shortly by the other boys as they went about the room getting dressed. "Aren't you going to join us for breakfast now that Mr. Overenthusiastic has gotten us up?" Seamus asked from his corner.

"Maybe later. I want to enjoy my morning for a little while longer. I'll be down in a bit." Harry flopped back down on his pillows and lazily watched the rest of the boys leave for breakfast.

Several minutes later, Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed and snatched his wand from his nightstand. With a casual flick of his wand, he closed the blinds, successfully blocking out most of the sunlight that had been streaming into the room. Several more rapid-fire spells later, and the room was locked, warded and silenced. Hermione leaned closer to the mirror, knowing that what she was searching for was about to be revealed to her.

Harry opened his trunk. The familiar rhythm of locating the false bottom and opening it to reveal its precious contents, calmed him and replaced his sense of urgency. He selected a vial of ecru potion and quickly drained its contents. Hermione was a little shocked. She thought that he kept the nutrient potion on the top of his trunk. She quickly scanned the mirror and saw several vials of nutrient potion laying on the ground, haphazardly. A sense of foreboding was taking residence in her stomach. She knew that this was going to be much more complicated than a simple case of identity crisis.

Calmly, Harry placed the contents back into his trunk. When it was sealed, there was a small pop of to his left. Hermione was startled by what she saw. There was Dobby, carrying a live cat. The cat did not seem too pleased about being restrained by the house elf and futilely tried to scratch itself free. The little elf refused to loosen its grip however and kept the squirming animal restrained with practiced ease.

"Mister Harry Potter missed his dinner last night!" Hermione was shocked, she had never heard of a house elf scolding anyone before. And from Dobby's face, it seemed as if he was prepared for a long-winded rant.

"I'm sorry Dobby, but they've posted three Hunters in the school now. I can't just wander down to the kitchens at night anymore."

"Mister Harry Potter sir is going to be eating his food now. I is very upset with you. This is baby food. You is an adult."

"I know Dobby, but what do you want me to do about it? I swear, I'll boost my diet come Christmas Break."

"You is better be doing that. Here." Dobby passed the cat to Harry, who easily restrained it from further struggling. Hermione could not believe what she was seeing. Right in front of her face, the glamours that kept Harry looking human fell. She watched, in silent horror, as the elegant young vampire bit into the cat and drained it. He slid onto the floor in satisfaction as the blood ran down his throat. Casually, he leaned his back against the four poster and purred his contentment.

Harry Potter, her best friend for nearly seven years was a vampire. From what it seemed like, this was not new. He sat there, with one arm gracefully draped on his knee and a dead cat at his side. A small amount of blood still adorned his lips until a pink tongue licked it away.

The house elves were obviously in on this whole charade. And from Dobby's rant, he had been feasting on cats and the like, but he was supposed to be moving on to something larger. Hermione shuddered at the thought. He called him an adult. Adult vampires ate people. They were in serious trouble. There was an adult Wizarding Vampire running around grounds and in the least likely suspect.

Harry glanced lazily at the dead cat on the floor. With a murmured incantation, the body burnt to a small pile of ashes. Dobby waved his hand over the mess. There was no sign of what had just transpired except for the sated vampire on the floor.

Harry sat forward and put his glamour back up. He patted Dobby on the shoulder. Dobby pursed his non-existent lips together. "You is still cold. This is what happens when you is not eating right."

Harry gave a dry chuckle. "I'm sure that I can come up with something. It _is_ November." He popped his glasses back on and scanned the room one more time and made sure that nothing was out of place.

"You is eating your dinner tonight. You is making time or you is getting sick."

"Alright, alright Dobby. I promise to find a way to slip down to the kitchens tonight."

Dobby appeared satisfied and popped away. Harry shook his head and undid the wardings on the room. Hermione snapped out of her shock and quickly put the mirror away. She ran down the stairs, just in time to bump in to Harry.

"Hey Mione, are you okay? What are you doing here? I though you would be at breakfast." Harry carefully righted the flustered Head Girl and gave her a cheeky grin.

Hermione was having difficulties associating this kind and helpful Harry with the cold creature she knew him to be.

"Oh, I got a late start and I was rushing down to breakfast. Why don't we go down together?" Harry had a bemused expression as she grabbed his elbow and led him down to the Great Hall and his typical seat.

She knew she could not just run to the Headmaster with the mirror. She needed to have more legitimate evidence and trends to support her need to spy and invade the privacy of the boys' dorm.

Harry was calmly sipping on his morning pumpkin juice and pushing his eggs around on his plate.

"Harry, are you alright?" Conversation halted around them and drew their neighbors' attention.

"Of course, I'm fine." Harry was obviously uncomfortable, but Hermione refused to drop the subject.

"Then why aren't you eating?" She stared pointedly at the food on his plate.

"I _am_ eating. I was just listening to what Ron's schedule looked like for today. It sounds really busy and intense. I haven't worked out like that since Moody locked us in at Headquarters."

Hermione realized that he was drawing the conversation away from his odd eating habits and she would not allow that to happen.

"Harry James Potter, if you think you can avoid eating by talking everyone in circles, you are sorely mistaken. You will eat, _now_." Hermione set her face in a grim line and glared at the young man across from her.

Harry's eyes wavered. This would counteract all of the good the cat's blood did for him. But unless he wanted to draw suspicion, he _had_ to eat. Silently, he swore to himself. He picked up his fork with the disgusting human food on it and quickly popped it into his mouth. He did not understand how they could eat something like this. Everything tasted and smelled rotten. He forced himself to swallow and glared reprovingly at Hermione.

She did nothing, but grin smugly back at him. She reached across the table and patted his hand. "There, that wasn't so bad now was it?"

Harry did not have time to move his hand from her grasp. He closed his eyes. This was _not_ his morning.

Hermione let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh my goodness Harry, you're so cold! Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should go to the Infirmary."

Harry quickly withdrew his hand. "I'm _fine_ Hermione. It probably just because it's November, and we're in a stone castle. I'm sure after a bit of walking around, I'll warm up. Now if you'll _excuse_ me." Harry pushed himself forcefully from the table and left.

Hermione waited several moments before leaving the Great Hall as well. She found a small alcove to hide in to turn on the mirror and see what he was doing. She watched in morbid fascination as Harry stumbled through the dorm and into the bathroom. She heard the distinct sound of retching echo off of the stone walls. Hermione felt troubled. On one hand she was satisfied with the knowledge that she had done this to a vampire and taken a strike against the encroaching darkness. On the other hand, she felt guilty that she had deliberately hurt her best friend of seven years.

She turned the mirror off and made her way to the library. Just because it was the weekend, did not mean that she could cut back on her studies. While she was there, she was determined to figure out how a vampire managed to stay in the castle with the wards erected. Harry was powerful and talented, but there was no way that he would be able to funnel and control the amount of magic that the wards would be putting on him. By all accounts, he should be dead.

* * *

Hermione knocked on Dumbledore's office. She had her mirror in hand and had categorized every move that Harry had made that day. He went about his day normally, but it was the little things that she now noticed about his routine which spoke volumes. Whenever the wards were mentioned, he had a nervous habit of lightly stroking his new necklace. When he first stepped into the daylight, it took him a moment to adjust and usually blinked rapidly several times before fully opening his eyes. They were small things by themselves, but were incredibly important when they were summed together. 

"Come in."

Hermione gently opened the door and approached the aging Headmaster.

"Ah, Miss Granger, what can I do for you this evening?" Dumbledore gestured to the chair sitting in front of his desk.

Hermione took him up on the silent offer and sat down. Idly, she fingered the small mirror in her grasp. "Headmaster, there is something you should know about Harry."

Dumbledore grew serious. He knew that she had always been a bright girl and whenever she put her mind to it, she could come up with startlingly accurate conclusions. It had worked to their advantage in the war against Voldemort, but it would be extremely detrimental now.

"I see. And what is it that I should know?" He folded his hands in front of him, perfectly suggesting the image of the concerned Headmaster.

"Sir, I've noticed several trends in Harry's behavior that have been going on over the years. It's only been recently that I recognized them for what they were. I placed a piece of gum that was charmed with the See-All spell in the boys' room. It's linked to my mirror so that I could see what they were doing. Sir, Harry's a vampire. The house elves know and they have been helping him throughout his time here. Although I am deeply concerned about this, I'm more concerned about why the wards haven't removed him from the castle yet. I think someone has been giving him inside help. If they were willing to help one vampire remain hidden in this school, it's very likely that there are others."

"I see, Miss Granger." The Headmaster paused, contemplating his next move. "What do you think I should do about Mr. Potter's presence in this school?"

"Sir, even though he parades himself as an innocent, he is far from it. He is a vampire, an adult one at that. It is only a matter of time before the students' lives are at risk."

Dumbledore nodded, a thoughtful frown on his face. "I must admit, that was a very good piece of magic. May I see your mirror?"

Hermione happily passed over her small, silver mirror, waiting expectantly for more praise on her delicate Charms work. She was broken out of her brief euphoria by a shattering of glass. Dumbledore had destroyed it.

"Professor?" Hermione was confused at his reaction. She did not understand why he would destroy the best evidence they had against a Wizarding Vampire. They were complicated to detect and exceedingly talented at hiding in plain sight.

"I am sorry Miss Granger, but I now see that Harry was right not to tell you about himself or his family history. I must say that I am rather disappointed in you. If there was one person other than Harry in this school that I felt would not fall to ridiculous prejudices, it was you."

Hermione was too stunned to move. The Headmaster had known what Harry was and had done nothing. She had just given away her knowledge, deductions and methods to a man that would clearly protect Harry's secrets, no matter what they were. She shivered in fright at the man that she once thought was the most Light wizard to walk the planet since Merlin.

"I am truly sorry for this. _Obliviate_." Dumbledore casually shuffled some papers about his desk as he waited for Hermione to return to a state of semi-consciousness.

"Do not worry my dear. The First Years are always more excitable this time of the year. If I remember correctly, you three were neck deep in trouble by this time your First Year," Dumbledore said with an amused twinkle.

Hermione shook herself out of her daze. When the words registered, she mildly blushed at the trouble they had gotten in to trying to follow clues that distracted professors had dropped. "You are right Headmaster. Good evening."

"Good evening," he replied and watched the Head Girl leave his office with no memory of her suspicions on Harry's true nature.

**

* * *

A/N: Well, a slight change in perspective. I can't stand canon Hermione, if you can guess. I find her incredibly annoying and nosy. Hope you enjoyed it! **


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade _

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

_"Good evening," he replied and watched the Head Girl leave his office with no memory of her suspicions on Harry's true nature._

**Chapter Seven: Blood Shields **

_**Warrant For Wizarding Vampire Arrest** _

**Special Correspondent: Vibridus Slane**

_Known vampire safe houses have mysteriously vanished. Groups of Hunters and Aurors who had been monitoring these safe houses say that, "they literally just disappeared one day." It was suspected that they used a Fidelius Charm to hide their houses. However, there is no sign of any human magic being used in the area. Extensive Ministry investigations have been carried out and they can guarantee that there is no signature suggesting that there is any human magic concealing them. This means that they are using some heretofore unknown form of magic that is specific to vampires. If this is the case, then it is likely that the Wizarding Vampires are the ones that invented these wards and are preventing justice from being carried out._

_If you know of any Wizarding Vampire or someone that is related to one, you are asked to report them to the Department of Vampire Control for questioning on these new wards. The Minister of Magic assures us that "We will not rest until we know exactly what this magic is and how to circumvent these wards and we are determined to find the solution. We do not want another drawn out war. If you have any information that could prove useful to us, we urge you to come forward and help keep this war from unnecessary bloodshed."_

Harry had a strong desire to beat his head against the nearest wall. He was thrilled that the safe houses were now all under blood wards; however, this new search for Wizarding Vampires was going to put him and anyone who was related to a vampire in a difficult situation. He could not imagine how this would affect the people who were merely related to a vampire but were still human. Before this recent law, they had the ability to remain neutral, just like the rest of the Wizarding population. This would put them at risk and they would have to decide where to stand: with their family or with their government, society and friends.

"I can't believe this! Hunting them was difficult enough as it was, this is going to be nearly impossible now that we have no way to pin point the areas where they are based. Mad Eye has said that we're going to start learning how to detect Wizarding Vampires now that it's so important. After all, if you can't identify your enemy, you have no way to fight them."

Harry numbly recognized this as one of the most intelligent comments to ever come out of Ron's mouth. It was nearly the end of the week. He had two more days and it would be Friday again. Since the curriculum had returned to normal, everything had nearly reverted to how it was before the war began. There was still the odd case of anti-vampire spells being shot in the halls; but most of the time, it was only the six Hunters who were keeping the school from returning to complete normalcy.

The Headmaster had told him about the fiasco with Hermione and what he had done to rectify it. It was one of the times he was happy that the man was slightly manipulative. It usually was a cause for headaches and flared tempers. But apparently, the Headmaster felt that he owed Harry for sixteen years of torment at the hands of his abusive relatives and his forced position as the figurehead for the Light. Harry had no qualms with accepting this method of repayment. If it kept him alive and relatively unscathed, he was willing to go to any lengths to assure that. It was this quality that nearly got him into Slytherin; however it was his determination to confront these problems head on and never give up, even in the face of insurmountable odds that allowed him to convince the hat to put him into Gryffindor.

He still caught Hermione looking at him oddly on the occasion, but that was probably because it was impossible to get rid of all of her suspicions. It was enough that she had no solid proof anymore. He was constantly on guard around her and made sure to make a production of eating at meals. It made him sick afterwards, but it was worth it to keep her from putting two and two together … again.

He had found the piece of gum that she had stuck to the underside of Ron's desk. He had to admit that it was a very clever – and disgusting – way to spy on the dormitory. No one would suspect one of the many pieces of gum under Ron's desk; he was always sticking them there instead of getting up and walking to the nearest trashcan. Harry was convinced that the house elves had given up on ever being rid of them and just decided to wait until he graduated to remove them all.

Harry was still moderately impressed with himself. Moody had taken him aside the other day to have a private conversation about constant vigilance and the necessity of being aware of his surroundings at all times. It appeared as if the old Auror was still looking out for his welfare and was concerned about the vampires trying to kidnap him and use him for leverage against the Ministry. Harry nearly scoffed at the idea. It would have been plausible, if he had been human. He barely managed to convince him that he did not need an Auror guard and that he was more than capable of defending himself. However, he _did_ promise not to leave the castle or grounds for any reason without informing someone form the Order.

* * *

Friday at breakfast was when the game was finally over. Harry could no longer pretend that this war was going to wait for him to graduate, no matter how much he wanted it to. 

The doors to the Great Hall banged open. All of the staff and Seventh Years were on their feet before they even recognized who it was that had just interrupted their breakfasts.

Dumbledore was the first to come to his sense. "Ah, Minister, what can we do for you this morning?"

The Minister of Magic strolled into the Great Hall followed on either side by a contingency of Aurors and Hunters. The Auror uniform was a dashing red, the insignias standing out in proud embroidery on their chests. The robes were made of the best dragon hide to protect them from unfriendly spells, yet still allow for maximum maneuverability. The Hunters were instead wearing black. Their uniforms were obviously designed for camouflage amongst the muggles and the night. They were not clearly of Wizarding origin, however the observant individual would realize that they were interwoven with enchanted thread that protected them from the most common spells. It was clear that they were not as concerned about magical attack as the Aurors were; instead, their focus was on a physical and vicious attack that characterized the Traditional Vampire.

"We need to question the students of Hogwarts, Headmaster. We will be singling out anyone of vampiric descent to take to the Ministry to see if they have any knowledge about these new wards."

Dumbledore hesitated momentarily before nodding his head. He knew that he could not deny the Ministry their request and could only hope that those students that knew they had vampire blood in them would take pains to leave and spare themselves from the Law Enforcement's techniques.

"Good, we'll be setting up the blood tests in the Hospital Wing. We'll begin with the Seventh Year Hufflepuffs right after lunch then." With that, the Ministry personnel turned and left the Great Hall in deafening silence.

* * *

Severus Snape was not in a good mood. A Sixth Year Hufflepuff had already been forcibly dragged from the school by a pair of Aurors. According to her, she was completely unaware that her six-times great grandmother had been a vampire. Considering that no other vampires had been born in her line, it was entirely possible that she was ignorant of that detail. However, the Ministry refused to believe her and had yet to return her to school, that was three hours ago. 

He refused to sit idly by and let the same thing happen to his Slytherins. He was fairly certain that Dumbledore's good name only went so far and would only protect him while he was still the Potion's Professor. The moment he decided to operate his own apothecary or potions shop, he was bound to be arrested for being a Dark Wizard and having been a Death Eater, no matter how long ago it had been.

The portrait door slid open as it recognized his presence. He needed no password. The Common Room fell into a tense silence, waiting to hear what had brought him into the Snake Pit. Everyone was locked into their Common Rooms until every single student had been examined. Because it was still early, only one or two students were in their dorm rooms. He waited patiently for the stragglers to exit their rooms and present themselves in front of him.

"Already, one student has been taken from this school due to one of her ancestors many generations ago being a vampire. She was unaware of this fact. She has yet to return and that was several hours ago. No is not the time for pride, leave that to the Gryffindors. If any of you are aware of having vampire ancestry, I urge you to come forward now. Slytherins protect their own. I refuse to have one of _my_ students harmed because of something that is not their fault."

He scanned the gathering of students several times and was about to give up when a small First Year came forward. He was one of the shorter members of his year, but seemed ready for a growth spurt at any moment. His hair was a light brown that hung about his ears and into his soft, expressive eyes.

"Um … sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Paudski?" Snape raised one graceful eyebrow as the young boy stepped closer to him.

"Sir, my mother is a Non-Wizarding Vampire." The boy was clearly terrified. He was uncertain if this was an intelligent move, but he knew that he would not get any sympathy from the Ministry of Magic. There was no way for him to claim total ignorance.

"I see." Snape paused in thought. He had been hoping that he would not be put in this situation, but realized that his luck was on par with the Golden Boy of Gryffindor's on most occasions. "Is there anyone else?"

Seeing that no one else was coming forward, he nodded. "Very well. If you would follow me Mr. Paudski." Severus turned and quickly left the Common Room through the portrait door that he had entered merely minutes before.

It was a silent pair that wandered through the hallways in the late afternoon. The man was lost in thought and was silently praying that if he was found out for aiding and abetting the escape of this child that Dumbledore would still be able to spare him. The child was a nervous wreck. If his mother had not been a vampire, he would have been a true muggleborn. He was completely human. The vampiric traits did not show up in him. He was aware that he ha at least one more magical growth spurt to go and that he could turn at any time, but from what he understood, that was unlikely. However, if he married a witch and had children with her, the odds that the child would be a Wizarding Vampire increased nearly exponentially.

It was this silent and thoughtful pair that met a very disturbing scene in the Headmaster's Office fifteen minutes after leaving the sanctuary of the dungeons.

Severus would have made a caustic and inappropriate remark if it had not been for the severity of the situation. There, in front of him, kicking his trunk was the Boy-Who-Lived. Snape was not surprised to see him having another of his famous temper tantrums. However, he was not prepared to see a fully vampiric Harry Potter growling and snarling while taking kick after vicious kick out on his already dented trunk.

A calm and measure voice came from behind the ruckus, "Severus, Matthas, what can I do for the two of you?"

**

* * *

A/N: So yes, I have been preparing for this scene for a while. In fact, it was one of the first scenes I envisioned. So the fact that I managed to write six other chapters before this one is rather impressive. There is quite a bit more to the story to go still. Have no fear. **


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

_However, he was not prepared to see a fully vampiric Harry Potter growling and snarling while taking kick after vicious kick out on his already dented trunk._

_A calm and measured voice came from behind the ruckus, "Severus, Matthas, what can I do for the two of you?"_

**Chapter Eight: Retreat**

Harry paused in the brutalizing of his old trunk when he realized that he had an audience. Cautiously, he turned around and saw the vacant expression on the Potions Master's face. Idly, he thought that if he had known all it took was showing his true face to shock the acerbic man into silence, he might have done it a long time ago. Harry sat down on the lid of his trunk, examining the two new occupants of the office with his cold, gleaming eyes.

Severus snapped out of his momentary lapse briskly and fully entered the office. Matthas gained some courage in seeing a familiar visage in the Headmaster's presence. After all, if Dumbledore's favorite was a vampire, the old man would not hold _his_ parentage against him. It would be the ultimate hypocrisy.

"Albus, we have a slight problem. However, seeing the … problem," Snape sneered, "in front of you at the moment, I'm sure that this will not be nearly as difficult to solve."

Harry let out a low growl. He was not in the mood to put up with Snape's sarcasm. He had enough problems in getting out of the castle unnoticed and with a plausible excuse.

Severus's head snapped to the right at the growl. He realized that it was beyond folly to taunt a vampire, but he could never seem to restrain himself around Potter. "I always knew you were just above animals on the evolutionary scale, Potter, but could you refrain from growling in the presence of civilized beings?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. He struggled for several moments to control himself and prevent ripping the man to shreds. Somehow, the Dark Wizard always managed to bring it out in him. He was sure that this was similar to what his father felt towards the same man. "You know, Snape, the reason my father taunted you so much when you were a student was because he could smell the weakness pouring off of you. In all reality, I'm amazed that you managed to survive without ending up as a meal to either Remus or my father."

Snape sneered at the young vampire and ignored the barbed comment. He hated being outdone in wit, especially by someone as classically moronic and _Gryffindor_ as the Potter brat.

The Headmaster intervened this rapidly escalating verbal sparring, "Settle down you two. I am sure that you were here for something else Severus."

Snape refocused and placed one hand on Matthas's shoulder. "Yes Headmaster. It appears as if Mr. Paudski's mother is a Non-Wizarding Vampire. I am concerned for his well-being should the Hunters find out."

The small boy glanced down at his shoes before gathering his pride and glaring at the Headmaster, as if daring him to say something derogatory about his family.

Harry was stunned out of his sulk. He slowly inspected the small eleven year old. His problem had suddenly taken on a new aspect, one that he was intimately familiar with: that of protector. He had calmed down enough to start thinking the problem through clearly. As far as he knew, everyone believed him to still be human. All he had to do was engineer a legitimate excuse for him to be away for the weekend and allow the Headmaster to give it to the school and his friends. By the time they realized that he had not returned on Monday, he would have had plenty of time to make his residence impenetrable and place his own blood wards around it. In all reality, it did not matter if he took the boy along or not. He highly doubted that anyone would be looking for the two of them together.

"Headmaster, I have been thinking of staying in Grimmauld Place for a while. Actually, Remus was going to room with me. I know that you don't really need it as a Headquarters anymore, and I was hoping that you wouldn't mind letting me cast my own wards on the house. Getting out of the school will not be a problem for me as long as Matthas can keep up. If you can buy me two days before the Order starts looking for me, I am sure that we could make Grimmauld Place a sanctuary."

Snape grudgingly admitted to himself that it was a viable plan, even if it revolved a little too much on luck for his own tastes. That was all the boy was capable of pulling off, though--plans based on large amounts of luck.

"I am sure that I will think of something, Harry. I believe you wanted to stay there over Christmas Break. It would make sense that you are returning there a few weeks early to get it ready for permanent residence. I assume that your wards will be able to circumvent the Fidelius, then?"

"Yes, because the house is under my control, I'll be able to modify it accordingly."

"Good, good. But as for now, it is still under the Fidelius and I am still the secret keeper. Which means …" Dumbledore trailed off as he scrawled a note on a spare piece of parchment and handed it to the small Slytherin. "Memorize that before you leave. Harry will be able to tell you the rest when you arrive."

Matthas stared at the parchment and could not believe what he was seeing. The famed Leader of the Light had just given him the coordinates for the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Quickly, he memorized the contents on the small slip of paper and looked up expectantly. The parchment caught on fire and singed his fingers. He left out a small yelp of surprise and quickly dropped it to the floor.

Severus glanced about the office one more time before deciding that he would never mention this occurrence again. He enjoyed life outside of the padded cells of St. Mungo's incurably and violently insane ward, which was exactly where he would be headed if he let himself be influenced too highly by the odd occurrences that centered around the Headmaster and the Boy-Who-Lived. He nodded a farewell to Dumbledore and Matthas before turning and briskly leaving the Headmaster's Office, which he kindly referred to in private as his personal Hell.

Harry slowly stood and examined his trunk. With a sigh, he shrunk it and all of its contents and tucked it into his pocket. He tilted his head when he heard a rustle and saw Dumbledore standing. His eyes were glassy, as if he were trying not to cry and to remain strong for the two boys who would need his silent support. With speed that was surprising in one so old, he strode over to Harry and embraced him one last time. Matthas silently watched this, realizing that Harry was not only the old wizard's favorite, but that he truly loved the boy.

The Headmaster addressed Matthas, "Follow Harry closely. He knows what he is doing and is exceptionally powerful. I trust him with my life and he has never proven me wrong. When you get to Grimmauld Place, make sure to contact your mother before anyone is aware of your disappearance."

Matthas nodded solemnly.

"Come on, stick close. You're about to learn some of the secrets to my success at infuriating your Head of House."

Matthas looked up at the seventeen year old hero. It was astonishing, the differences that the glamour made on his general appearance. As a vampire, he looked dangerous, someone who gave off an aura that anyone in Knockturn Alley would respect and avoid for their own safety. Under the guise of a human, he seemed approachable and the perfect icon for the Light. He was sure that it was partly how he carried himself. The gracefulness that accompanied his vampiric form was cat-like and had an underlying power that spoke volumes. His human form was still graceful, but seemed less refined. The danger merely came from the knowledge of exactly how talented and powerful he was magically.

Casually, as if it were an every day occurrence, Harry unfolded his invisibility cloak and wrapped it around them both. Matthas may not have been raised in the Wizarding World, but his mother knew enough about it to give him an idea of some of the more important details. He had the distinct feeling that this cloak was not something that everyone owned and was probably a highly coveted item.

They silently left the office and stalked down the corridors. Matthas moved as close to the older boy as he could without getting in his way. He was well aware that Mad Eye Moody could see through nearly anything. The older Slytherins took great pains to avoid the old grizzled Auror, especially his glass eye. That was when he noticed the older teen holding an old piece of parchment.

Harry glanced down at the Slytherin and whispered, "This bit of parchment is the key to my success and the root of most of my adventures here." He tipped it just enough for the younger boy to see a map of the school with all of the people labeled as dots. The area around them was completely clear and Mad Eye Moody was in the other corner of the castle guarding the doors to the Infirmary.

Suddenly, Harry muttered, "Mischief managed," and the map was cleared and returned to the appearance of an innocuous piece of parchment.

Matthas looked about, confused. They were in the third floor corridor by the statue of an old one-eyed witch. The confusion turned to shock as Harry tapped the statue and said, "Dissendium." He realized with awe that it was a secret passage out of the castle.

The two boys moved into the dark passageway and removed the cloak. The statue closed behind them and left them in darkness. It took a few moments, but the Slytherin's eyes adjusted well to the dark. It was clear that Harry was waiting for him to be ready to move onwards. Without his glasses on, it was obvious that his eyes were slightly shining in the absolute darkness; they were reminiscent of cat's eyes.

It took close to half an hour to reach the steps that ascended out of the tunnel. Harry paused once again to pull out the invisibility cloak. As he draped it over them he spoke. "Be very careful while we're leaving. This opens up to the cellar of Honeyduke's. There will probably be several customers in the shop. So, we need to make sure not to touch anyone and then slip out when the door opens. Once we get outside of the wards, I'll apparate us to London."

Matthas's heart rate sped up considerably. He had never done anything as daring as he was about to do. He was a Slytherin; random bouts of plunging head first into danger were not his forte. In fact, they generally left him panicky and sweaty. He clung to Harry's side as they maneuvered about the shelves of sweets. At the counter was a man who was draped in assorted weapons, including various stakes and a sword. The section that had once included Blood Pops was gone and only a bare wall stood testament to the sweets that once proudly sat there amongst their brethren.

He was swept along by Harry's powerful body through the open door. The sunlight beat down on them in all of its angry glory. The glare coming from the glass seemed to mark them and follow them out of town. Matthas felt the pull of the wards as they crossed the final barrier. Suddenly, he was pulled closely to the vampire. That was all of the warning he had before he felt like he was being sucked through a tube that was far too thin for his body to travel through. When he opened his eyes, they were standing in the middle of the street in muggle London.

"Now, think of what the parchment told you."

Matthas jumped as a house appeared in between two others, yet the occupants never seemed to notice that their living rooms shifted over fifty feet.

Harry smirked and patted the boy on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get inside. Be quiet when you first enter. Mrs. Black's portrait tends to yell if you wake her up."

The door creaked open and the two of them danced around the troll umbrella stand that still had not made it out of the entryway. Harry escorted the younger boy back to the kitchen and carefully shut the door behind them.

Matthas could no longer restrain himself. "What is your malfunction! Invisibility cloaks, evading Hunters and Aurors, secret passageways, Headquarters that pop out of nowhere, what next!" He was puffing in rage.

Harry just smiled at the deluded child. "What are you talking about? That's a normal evening for me. It's when there's a basilisk at the end of the tunnel that you have to start worrying."

Matthas shuddered to a halt. He looked at the young vampire in stunned awe. He could not comprehend the last statement. "What?"

"Oh, you didn't hear about that? Yeah, that's a long story that involves possession, acromantulas, parseltounge and polyjuice potion. Remind me to tell you it sometime."

The boy sat down heavily in a kitchen chair, wondering just what he had gotten himself into. Dumbledore may trust his life with this walking target, but he was not so sure that he could say the same. He might as well paint himself neon yellow and walk into the middle of the street yelling for the Hunters to come pick him up.

"You look a little stressed. Why don't you go write that letter to your mum and send it with Hedwig?"

Matthas left kitchen to go find some parchment to write a letter, shaking his head the entire time. He was now convinced that the only reason the Light beat the Dark Lord was because they were more insane - just quietly so.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After The War

_Previously:_

_Matthas left kitchen to go find some parchment to write a letter, shaking his head the entire time. He was now convinced that the only reason the Light beat the Dark Lord was because they were more insane--just quietly so._

**Chapter Nine: Alibis**

_**Boy-Who-Lived Kidnapped By Vampires**_

**Special Correspondent: Vibridus Slane**

_During a school-wide interrogation, two students went missing before they could be examined: Harry Potter and Matthas Paudski. Through closer examination, it has been discovered that the First Year Slytherin, Paudski, is the son of Non-Wizarding Vampire. The Minister believes that this is too much to be coincidence. "The Vampires know how important Mr. Potter is to our society. Because the boy Paudski is human, he could get through the wards. It is likely that he lured Mr. Potter out of their protection, where he was then snatched to be used as leverage against us. Out thoughts are with Mr. Potter, and we assure you that we will not rest until he is found and safely returned."_

The Great Hall was in an uproar. Ron and Hermione had tears coursing down their cheeks. The Slytherins were once again being singled out and harassed by the other three houses. However, it was the Head Table that bore the most interesting collection of reactions.

Hagrid was openly weeping. In between sobs, he could be heard stuttering, "I knew they was up ta no good. Poor 'Arry!"

The professors that did not know him well, were clearly distraught and easily taken in by the story. McGonagall's lips were pursed tight in irritation as Sybil Trelawney proceeded to inform everyone that the next time they saw the boy, he would be a lifeless corpse. Snape was as stoic as ever, silently cursing the stupidity of the Ministry, the Hunters and the Aurors.

Dumbledore sat, stunned. It was rare that a story escaped before he had time to do some form of damage control. He knew that he would have to get to the Order before they did something rash. He leaned over and spoke in Minerva's ear, "I need to speak with you in private, and then we will call the Order to my office."

"Do you know what's happened, Albus?"

Dumbledore gave her a small smile and patted her hands. "Indeed I do. Believe me, there is nothing to worry about."

McGonagall returned to her meal, mollified for the moment.

As breakfast finished, Dumbledore and McGonagall slipped away and made their way to his office.

Minerva sat primly in the chair opposite of Albus. She waited patiently, knowing that he would eventually get around to saying what he had set out to.

"First, I must assure you that the vampires have not kidnapped Mr. Potter."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they would gain nothing from it."

The Deputy Headmistress was confused, but she knew that it would all eventually be explained.

"I am only telling you this because of how well you cared for Remus and your love of the Marauders. It seems as if hey have not yet yielded the last of their secrets." Dumbledore paused briefly before revealing something that was not his to discuss. But he knew that Harry would need all of the help he could get. Sighing, hoping that Harry would understand, Dumbledore said, "It appears that Remus was not the only Dark Creature in the Marauders. From what Harry has told me, the Potters have a long history of marrying vampires. So much so that it is very rare for a Potter to not turn before they are seventeen."

The Head of Gryffindor sat, stunned. "Albus … are you saying …"

"Yes, my dear. Harry left because he was born a vampire."

"What do we do?"

"We are going to call the Order here this evening and tell them that Harry left for the weekend with our consent to clean Headquarters for when he moves in, in under a month."

Minerva nodded her head. "I will collect Mr. and Miss Weasley and Miss Granger fifteen minutes before the meeting so that we can assure them that Harry is safe and well."

* * *

It had been two hours since Professor McGonagall had found out Harry's secret. She was now making her way to Gryffindor Tower to retrieve his closest friends and fellow members of the Order. 

The Common Room was unusually quiet and subdued. But the three she was looking for were conspicuously absent.

"Mr. Longbottom."

Neville looked at his stern Head of House. "Yes, Professor?"

"Where are Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley and Miss Weasley?"

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley came about an hour ago and collected them. She was saying something about a meeting."

Minerva was concerned. As far as she knew, the Headmaster had not mentioned anything about a meeting until just a few minutes ago. It made sense to assume that there would be an Order meeting, but she was worried that they would show up at Headquarters and see something that they were not meant to know.

* * *

Matthas was upstairs sleeping. His mother's reply had just come in and Harry was contemplating the logistics of a meeting to return her son. 

Dobby had been more than happy to move in. He had become even more insistent on Harry improving his diet now that he was no longer at school. Harry, though, was waiting until he finalized the blood wards so he would always have a sanctuary to return to. However, he needed Remus to be there so that he could be included and would always be able to see the house.

So, Harry sat there, contemplating the best place to meet with the least likeliest of odds of running into anyone from the Wizarding World, while swirling the warm blood in his cup.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the front door opening and hushed whispers coming down the hall. Harry quickly reassembled his glamour and made towards the sink when the kitchen door was opened fully.

Harry swiveled around to face the intruders and in one fluid movement, hid his half-full cup behind his back.

Crammed in the entryway were Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. They were all staring at him in stunned silence. Harry barely had time to register what was going on when three loud pops resounded in the kitchen. Standing in a semi-circle in front of him were Moody, Shacklebolt and Tonks. They joined in on the shocked silence.

Mrs. Weasley was the first to move. She crossed the room in three strides and envelope Harry in a warm hug. "Where _have_ you been! The newspapers said that you had been kidnapped. Do you realize how worried we were!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. Didn't Dumbledore tell you? I wanted to get the house ready for Christmas. He said it was okay for me to be here and get it fixed up for permanent human habitation."

With this proclamation, everyone in the room relaxed.

Moody nodded. "It seemed unlike you to just let yourself be kidnapped or countermand my order to report in with someone from the Order. Dumbledore must've been tryin' to get ahold of us without causing an uproar or staggering the announcements throughout the day. Glad to know you cleared it with the boss, laddy."

Harry thought that he just might have been able to edge towards the sink when Molly spoke up, "Harry, dear, what is that you've got behind your back?"

"Hm? … Oh, it's a cup. I was just going to wash it out when you arrived."

Seeing his chance, Harry turned to face the sink when Tonks's voice called out, "I thought there wasn't any food or drinks here. When did you go shopping?"

Harry winced and gave a fake smile. "Oh, Dobby picked up a few things …"

"You're actin' awfully twitchy about a cup, boy." Moody's false eye locked on Harry and paused.

Harry's only warning was a slight narrowing of Moody's good eye. "_Accio cup!_"

The cup flew towards the old Hunter. Harry managed to grasp its bottom, which stopped it from traveling any farther, but he did not manage to get it under control. The weight of the contents tipped it forward and the cup fell, leaving a puddle of red, shiny liquid on the tile floor.

Harry was horrified. Shacklebolt bent over and gathered some of the viscous substance on his finger. Gently, he brought it to his face and sniffed it. "It's blood."

**

* * *

A/N: I know this is a short chapter, but if I didn't it would be about 20 pages long. I already have the half of chapter 10 written so it won't be too long until it comes out. However, I just finished by thesis so I may be insanely drunk this weekend. We'll see.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After the War

_Previously:_

_Harry was horrified. Shacklebolt bent over and gathered some of the viscous substance on his finger. Gently, he brought it to his face and sniffed it, "It's blood."_

**Chapter Ten: Exile**

Harry stepped backwards. He needed to beat a hasty retreat, but he could not leave Matthas behind. He took another step backwards as Moody and Shacklebolt raised their wands. Everyone else was frozen in shock. Harry glanced towards Ron and Hermione. Ron was dumbstruck by what he was seeing, but a familiar light was present behind Hermione's eyes. Harry was distracted by focusing on the two wands held by the Hunters. Hermione dipped her hand into Ron's pocket and flung the contents at Harry.

He felt his glamours failing and struggled to maintain them. Detachedly, he realized that the Revealing Powder was an ingenious development.

He was expecting to be attacked by one of the four Hunters in front of him. He was _not_ expecting Mrs. Weasley to grab him in a fierce hug and to weep on him.

"Oh Harry! Don't worry, we don't blame you! Just tell us who did this to you and we'll make sure that they pay for hurting you."

Harry did not really want to deal with a weeping woman; but she was effectively blocking the Hunters from having a clear shot.

"What do you mean: who did this to me?"

Mrs. Weasley sniffed and patted his arm. "You're such a good boy, always trying to protect others. I realize that you may fell a sense of loyalty to the creature that turned you; but if they had the nerve to attack _you_, surely you can see how dangerous they are."

She seemed hopeful and was searching for any reason to put the blame somewhere else. Harry gave her a soft smile and shook his head.

"They're already dead."

"Really. How do we know that you're not just covering for them?" came the grizzled Auror's voice.

Harry sighed. "Because the vampire in question is my father. I was born this way."

There was a moment of silence before Ron yelled, "WHAT!"

Harry looked up at his best-friend and shrugged.

"Do you mean that there's been a vampire in the school for seven years and no one noticed?" Hermione asked.

Harry gave a small smirk. "No. I mean that generations of vampires have been educated at Hogwarts and no one noticed. The Potters have interbred with vampires for the last one-thousand years and have never missed a generation in schooling. And that's only our family."

"That's impossible without _someone_ finding out," Hermione quipped.

"True, but most of the people who found out were supportive and were sworn to secrecy."

It seemed that with every statement he made, the more and more shocked his audience became. The silence was palpable. But it was clearly the calm before the storm.

Moody was the first to speak. "Well, boy, let's get going."

Harry glanced at the man. "Going?"

Mrs. Weasley let him go, but did not move from her position in between Harry and the Hunters. "Alastor, what are they going to do with him?"

"I'm sure that as long as he cooperates, they won't harm him. He _is_ a strong warrior for the Light. If we all speak for him, he could probably leave right after he answers some questions. They will likely set some restrictions on life-style, but it would be political suicide to try and kill the Savior of the Wizarding World, no matter what species he is."

Molly seemed satisfied with that answer, but Harry knew that the restrictions would probably be so constraining on his required diet that he would quickly become unhealthy and actually have symptoms of aging.

"I don't think so."

* * *

Tonks slipped out of the kitchen. She may have had a reputation for being a klutz and fun loving, but in the end, she was an Auror. Matthas and Harry disappeared at the same time. Matthas was the one who needed help escaping; Harry had proven too sufficient at that over the years. The yelling in the kitchen was getting louder and hid her footsteps on the stairs. She moved swiftly through the hallway, opening doors before heading up another flight of steps. The girls' room was empty as were the next two bedrooms. When she opened the room Ron and Harry usually slept in, she found a small boy curled up on the bed on the left, asleep. 

Before she could have any second thoughts, she silenced him and roughly hauled him from his slumber. He struggled briefly against her, but the Metamorphmagus deftly ushered him down the stairs.

They could now hear the argument in the kitchen clearly.

"I don't know what's so hard for you to understand! I _will not_ help you against my own people. The Ministry started this, _not_ the vampires. Those Aurors would still be alive if they had left well enough alone!"

Tonks swung the door open, holding Matthas securely in front of her.

Harry was beyond angry. He was beginning to lose control of his magic. The sight of a clearly terrified boy being held hostage sent him over the edge. There was a reason he was able to kill Voldemort, and these _people_ were about to get first hand knowledge of exactly why.

The temperature dropped several degrees and Harry's eyes started to glow with an unnatural sheen. Tonks's grip on the boy's shoulder loosened slightly in shock. Harry noticed this lapse and hissed through his elongated fangs, "Matthas, get behind me."

The small eleven year old scampered and hid behind the irate vampire.

Mrs. Weasley was still standing in the middle of the kitchen. She was clearly distraught. She did not know what to do. She longed to protect Harry as she had always tried, but she did not know how to protect him from the people who were supposed to be his friends and family.

Ron was still stuck at the beginning of the confrontation and had not yet accepted the fact that his first friend outside of his family was a vampire. Everything was happening too quickly to keep up with. He saw the creature before him and knew he should draw his wand to help the other Hunters, but he could not draw on the man he had come to love as his brother.

Hermione was doing much better than Ron in understanding the situation, but that did not mean that she was acting on it anymore. Her mind had told her that the Revealing Powder would work, but she had not truly believed it. It was like something from her past was confirming her suspicions, but she could not remember ever doubting Harry's humanity.

Ginny, Fred and George were stunned at everyone's actions. The three people who had a large role in training Harry and knew just how good he was were actually going to attempt to take him somewhere by force. And Harry, the icon of the Light, was _hissing_ through _fangs_.

Shacklebolt made the first move this time, "You helped him to escape? That's aiding and abetting, not to mention evading the law. If you come in now, we'll try to get them to go easy on you. I'm sure that we can swing some kind of deal."

"Oh? And what would you do for Matthas? Would you just, send him on his way and wish him a good day?" Harry snarkily replied, setting a comforting hand around the slightly trembling younger boy.

"Don't speak nonsense boy. He's needed for interrogation. Not to mention the leverage he'll provide in ensuring his mother's cooperation."

Harry was beginning to truly hate Alastor Moody. Before, it had only been because of the long hours of rigorous training he had been forced into. However, in the end, he was able to move even more fluidly and he was able to defeat Death Eaters and the Dark Lord at the age of sixteen.

"I think you should leave," Harry said in a deadly soft voice.

Ron finally came to his senses and drew his wand as the other three Hunters tightened their grips on theirs. Ginny, Fred, George and Hermione withdrew from the semicircle watching in horrified fascination.

"If we leave, you're coming with us." With that, Moody fired a strong sunlight charm directly at Harry, hoping to incapacitate him enough to take him in. However, he had momentarily forgotten that Harry was trained to fight off several Aurors at once, and that was limiting his reflexes. Before anyone could register Harry's movements, he had cast a silent shield charm, protecting himself from the damaging spell.

Before the Hunters had time to take another shot, Harry swiftly grabbed Mrs. Weasley and spun her around so that her back was pressed against his chest. He glared at the trespassers in his sanctuary and slowly bent to whisper into her ear, "I am terribly sorry about this Mrs. Weasley."

"Let go of my mother you filthy vampire!" came the distinctly feminine Weasley voice.

Those words, more than all of the other hateful comments he had heard over the last few weeks, hurt him to his core.

Harry bared his fangs and let out a low growl. "You will leave _now_!"

Stunned by this atypical behavior, all but Shacklebolt and Moody retreated. It was clear that the two were still trying to work the situation to their advantage. But they knew that a normal Wizarding Vampire would take the both of them to bring in. The one in front of them had been trained to take on all three of the Order's Aurors and he never tapped into his enhanced abilities.

Cautiously, they backed out of the kitchen, their eyes locked on Harry and Molly Weasley. Harry slowly stalked forward, keeping a safe distance between himself and the two Hunters.

As the last of the intruders stepped out the front door, Mrs. Weasley felt moisture against her cheek.

Harry called, in a rough voice, to the group, "Outside the property boundaries."

Molly tilted her head so that she could get a clear view of her honorary son's face. As she suspected, tears were silently making their way down his pale cheek. She knew that he never would have harmed her, he was only using their prejudices against them.

"I'm so sorry that it worked out this way Mrs. Weasley. I hope you can forgive me."

She spun in his arms and gave him a soft smile before calmly wiping his moist face. "Be careful, dear." With that, she strolled across the front yard to her anxious family.

Harry slammed the door shut and locked it. He dragged his palm against a fang and slapped it on the center of the door. Magic swirled through the air and across the property. Once it settled, Harry collapsed against the door and began to openly sob. Matthas shook his head at emotional Gryffindors and helped the distraught young vampire to his room.

* * *

The Order stood across the street and stared at the place where they used to call Headquarters. It was as if Dumbledore had never told them the secret. Once again, the street looked as if there were no magical influences, leaving the observers cold and awkward.

Gruffly, Moody addressed the group, "We're doin' no good standin' around here. Shacklebolt, you and Tonks report this to the Ministry, don't leave anything out, especially how fast he was able to erect those damned wards. I'm going to report to Dumbledore and see how much the old man actually knew. I suggest the rest of you get rested, we're going to have a major player in this war and we're all going to need to use our knowledge of him and his tactics to properly fight him."

The group apparated away from the house and life they had just been exiled from. Moody stood for one more moment, grunted, then apparated to Hogsmeade to attempt to get answers from a man that was more sly and manipulative than Slytherin himself.

**

* * *

A/N: Okay, here it is. It helped that was down during the weekend, so that I actually put chapter 9 up after my hangover was gone. Now that was an amusing Friday night. Thankfully, my best friend was with me. Otherwise, I'm sure the two marines I brought home might have stayed …**


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After the War

_Previously:_

_The group apparated away from the house and life they had just been exiled from. Moody stood for one more moment, grunted, then apparated to Hogsmeade to attempt to get answers from a man that was more sly and manipulative than Slytherin himself._

**Chapter Eleven: Allies Arrive**

Remus was panicking. He had only been in the States for a few months to settle some of his debts so that he could live peacefully with Harry. In that space of time, Britain had gone insane. Originally, he had planned to meet Harry this Sunday, but now he had no idea where he would be. If Harry had done the intelligent thing, he would be in hiding. The first place Remus decided to check then was Grimmauld Place. If he was not there, he would interrogate everyone in Hogwarts until he found out where his surrogate godson was.

The International Floo System Port dropped him off in the middle of London. He was only thankful that they had chosen such a central location for Headquarters. Quickly, he dusted himself off and picked up the first edition of the Daily Prophet that he could find. His eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock. He had known that it was a bad situation, but he did not realize that they had started to interrogate children and place any with a vampire heritage under arrest.

He ran down the street and chucked the newspaper in to the nearest trash bin. Skidding around a corner, he hid in the shadows of an alley away from the prying eyes of unsuspecting muggles. Gathering a breath, he apparated across the street from where he knew Number 12 Grimmauld Place to be.

With a strong suction, he felt himself deposited on firm ground once again. He opened his eyes and stared in shock. Instead of Headquarters, there was nothing. Actually, it was worse than nothing. There was no tingle of any wizarding magic present in the entire area. Cursing silently to himself, he knew that there was no way to get past the vampire blood wards without being keyed in by the one in control of them.

He scanned the street once more and grimaced. There was only one place that he would get answers, and he just _knew_ that it would be a painful experience. Concentrating, he apparated to the edge of the Hogwarts wards.

Immediately, he was bombarded by hostile magic. Remus sank to his knees at the migraine that was now pounding in his skull. He backpedaled a couple of steps before getting his bearings. Several people were watching him with narrowed eyes. They knew about the wards that prevented vampires from entering the castle and his adverse reaction to them were something to be concerned about.

Remus noticed several people fingering their wands and glared at the invisible wall of protective magic. Part of what made the wards so successful was the criteria of identifying Dark Creatures. He knew he could get to the castle, but breaching the outer barrier would probably leave him with a pounding headache for the rest of the day. Determined to speak to the Headmaster, he stood and strode through the barrier that would completely prevent any vampire from being on the castle's grounds.

The excruciating pain was not helping his temperament. He very rarely lost his cool head; but he was exhausted, in pain and worried for the boy he would give his life for. Students moved rapidly out of his path in a way oddly reminiscent of when the Potion's Master was in a temper. His eyes glowed amber as he reached the stone gargoyle. Even the gargoyle was not foolish enough to stand in his path and quickly jumped out of his way.

Yelling was coming from the other side of the oak double doors that led to Dumbledore's office. "Listen here! You cannot just allow two highly dangerous suspects to evade the Aurors, Dumbledore. You had no right to aid and abet their escape from Ministerial custody."

"I did no such thing. You are quite aware of how talented Mr. Potter is in evading capture. After all, you trained him yourself." Remus could almost hear the twinkle in the elderly wizard's voice.

Alastor Moody was about to continue, when he paused as his eye focused on the man standing on the other side of the doors. "Get in here Lupin. Maybe you could shed some light on this mess."

Remus drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he was confronted by an irritating and offensive Auror. Getting his temper moderately under control, he pushed the door open. Alastor Moody had his hands spread on the desk in front of Dumbledore, if they had been anywhere else except the Headmaster's own office, it would have been an impressive interrogation display. As it was, it merely made Moody look slightly ridiculous at trying intimidation tactics when Dumbledore was merely sitting in his chair, lightly munching on his lemon drops.

Moody leveled his gaze at the werewolf. "Now, how long have you known that Mr. Potter was a vampire?"

"Which one?" Remus deadpanned.

Moody growled in irritation. "Don't play games with me boy. I just told you. Potter!"

"And I asked which Potter. I've known several."

Moody slammed his hand down on Dumbledore's desk, upsetting the bowl of lemon drops. Spittle flew from his mouth as the candies scattered about on the desk top and carpet. "Quit acting ignorant Lupin. The only one that's alive to matter! Or do I have to take you in for harboring a criminal?"

Dumbledore calmly interrupted the irate Auror. "Now Alastor, there was no need for that."

Moody's eye swiveled dangerously in his head, constantly whirring in circles to keep both the werewolf and Headmaster in sight.

"It wouldn't be the first time that I've harbored a supposed criminal. But if you're asking about Harry, since he was born, of course. After all, I knew about James since we were thirteen."

"And what have you been doing since the Department of Vampire Control was established?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. He was not in the mood to be interrogated, especially when it revolved around his debts that he had accrued because of his chronic unemployment. "I've been out of the country. If I had known that Britain was going to turn into an insane asylum, I would have been back earlier and made sure that Harry was out of harm's way a long time ago."

Moody shot glares at the other two occupants of the office. He had known that he was not likely to get any answers here, but he had to determine exactly how involved the Headmaster had been in helping the two boys escape. As it was, he was no closer to figuring out if Dumbledore was merely informed and did nothing, or if he took a more active role. Grunting, he stomped out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

They waited for the sound of his false leg on the stairs to vanish before they turned and faced each other.

"Remus, what can I do for you?"

The good mood he had gained from watching the Hunter make a fool out of himself, quickly dissipated as he was brought back to reality. "Probably the same as Moody was trying to talk you into." Remus sighed. "What happened? How in Merlin's name did the Ministry manage to pass a bill that would allow them to arrest _children_ for their mere ancestry?"

Dumbledore sighed. He had never looked older, not even when eleven of the students turned up with Dark Marks had he seemed so tired. "I do not know, Remus. I am only thankful that Harry is so resourceful. Severus came to see me with one of his First Years whose mother is a non-Wizarding Vampire. I gave him the location of Headquarters so that they could use that as a safe haven from the Hunters. Unfortunately, the moment the Order realized that Harry was missing, they assumed that we would be having a meeting and swarmed to Grimmauld Place." Dumbledore removed his half-moon spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Remus cringed. That explained why the house was already under the blood wards when they had agreed to wait until today to do so. "Who went?"

"Molly came here and picked up Ronald, Ginevra and Hermione. Apparently, they met with the twins and all arrived at Grimmauld Place together. Shortly thereafter, Tonks, Shacklebolt and Moody apparated into the kitchen. From what I understand, Harry was hiding a half-full goblet behind his back and was attempting to get rid of it in the sink when Alastor became suspicious and summoned it. Needless to say, Harry had an exceedingly difficult time explaining why there was blood in his cup. Miss Granger threw Revealing Powder at him and the situation deteriorated from there."

Remus groaned and slumped into the chair across from Dumbledore. "How did he get out of _this_ mess."

"Well, from what Alastor and several other Order members have told me so far, he used Molly as a hostage and threatened them if they did not leave the property immediately. Interestingly enough, Molly does not feel that she was ever in danger."

"She doesn't?"

"No. She said she was safe the entire time and knew that he would never do anything to harm her. She said that he apologized profusely for using her as a shield, but that she understood completely."

"That sounds much more likely."

Dumbledore merely nodded. The two sat in silence, contemplating their next steps.

Remus looked up from his brooding. "You know that they're going to post a guard outside of Grimmauld Place as soon as they can."

Dumbledore nodded. "We need to move them out of there as quickly as possible. However, the only ones who will be able to see the house now are other vampires. I believe that Mrs. Paudski is already aware of some of the situation. But, I am hesitant to involve her when we know that the house is going to be watched, especially at night."

"We don't have much choice. We're going to have to inform her. After all, her son is stuck in that house just as much as Harry is. And if we want to get them out and to a less well-known location, we're going to have to move quickly."

"Yes. Not to mention that Vampires are social creatures and need a certain level of human contact before they withdraw within themselves."

"If what you told me has happened is true. Then, we're probably going to be the only way Harry will get out of bed and feed himself." Remus paused to think over these new implications. "I don't know how much an eleven year old boy will be able to accomplish with a depressed and stubborn vampire."

"We can't be seen having contact with Mrs. Paudski. However, I am sure that a non-descript owl would suffice in this instance." Dumbledore quickly drew up a letter, asking for Matthas's mother's immediate reply and assistance and called a school owl down to his office.

"Take this to Mrs. Antoinette Paudski. But be discrete, it is important that no one sees you or captures you."

With a brief nod, the owl took flight and banked southwards.

"Remus, perhaps you could find out exactly what properties Harry owns and their sizes. I am sure that once the Department of Vampire Control is given the report on Harry's situation, they will be closely monitoring all of the known Potter holdings. But, I do believe that there are several that are less well-known. If you could have a list of properties that the two of you could live in without the pressure of evading surveillance, that would make everything move much quicker when we finally are able to rescue young Matthas and Harry from their forced confinement."

Remus nodded and exited the office. He now had a clearer picture as to what was going on and how he could help. He knew that the full list of Potter properties was kept in Gringott's, but the only person able to access that information was Harry himself. Instead, he decided to go back to his flat and examine all of his old photo albums. He knew that he had been to several Potter estates and at least one of them had been heavily warded and unlisted in the Ministry registrar. From what he could remember, the original building was constructed before the idea of a Ministry of Magic had even been conceived and was thus not subjected to taxes or regulation. Several old families had properties like this and were kept secret from everyone but the closest of friends.

The flat was sparse. Most of the furniture was patched in places, but it was still neat and organized. Remus made his way to the closet and pulled down the box on the top shelf. Carefully, he pealed back the lid and revealed two large photo albums.

The top album was of the Marauders' first four years at Hogwarts. Although it held some of his fondest memories, it was the second album that was more important. In their third year, both James's and his secrets came to light to the Marauders. However, instead of tearing them apart, it merely brought them closer together in their shared secrets.

Remus was interested in one particular house. He had only been there once with James, and from what he knew, Sirius had only visited it once, as well.

One-third of the way through the pages, he saw it. It was the summer before Sixth Year and he had stayed at the house for a week. He did not know what state of disrepair it would be in; but after at least sixteen years of vacancy, he was sure that it would need a lot of work.

Remus took a picture of him standing in front of the house with the Potters and tucked it into his pants' pocket. Reverently, he closed the album and box and placed them back in the closet where they had resided since he started renting the flat.

With a brief note to Dumbledore sent off with a school owl, he departed to the oldest estate of the Potter family.

* * *

Remus had been cleaning the old Potter Manor for the last two days. For some reason, when he was cleaning, it seemed to be a lot larger than he remembered. Dumbledore had just sent him a missive stating that Mrs. Paudski had replied and was willing to help Remus through the wards, but she was not about to trust any fully human wizard. Along with this note came two house elves to speed the cleaning process up. 

Remus had always valued the small creatures, but he had never truly appreciated how much time they saved a wizard. In two days, Remus had managed to clean the entrance hall, an office and three bedrooms. In the span of six hours, the elves had already straightened the kitchen, dining room, the library and two more bedrooms.

This left him with enough free time to plan a meeting with Antoinette Paudski and the logistics of getting into a guarded house. Apparently, the Ministry was keeping the news of Harry Potter's vampirism confidential until they could supply undeniable evidence. Remus knew that the moment he showed up with a vampire to breach the wards, that would be all of the mitigating circumstance that they would need to confirm the Hunters' report.

They had set a meeting in two days at dawn in a small café to go over the finer details. Remus would have to apparate Antoinette to Grimmauld Place. From there, he hoped to be able to convince Harry to leave and apparate Matthas to the same café and into his mother's care.

Antoinette would have gone immediately, but she had to contact a potions dealer to supply her with a fresh batch of the Nightshade Potion. Because of the Ministry watch dogs, prices were soaring and it was becoming increasingly complicated to get the important solution.

Because of this, Harry and Matthas would have been trapped in the house for a week. Remus was sure that Harry would be in bad condition by now. Dobby had supplied them with preliminary supplies, but human food lasted significantly longer than blood packets. Vampires needed fresh blood, but could use the packets for a day or two, if necessary. Remus was not looking forward to dealing with a hungry and depressed teenaged vampire.

The last note on his To Do list was to purchase several small animals and carrying cases.

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter ended up a lot longer than I had planned. Originally, this was only going to be a scene in a longer chapter, but this one sort of ran away with me. Well, you've got an update and more action will be in the next one, as I'm sure you can tell.**


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**

* * *

**

The Bloodshed After the War

_Previously:_

_Remus was not looking forward to dealing with a hungry and depressed teenaged vampire._

_The last note on his To Do list was to purchase several small animals and carrying cases._

**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Strategic Retreat **

Remus was impressed. The house elves had worked constantly the last three days and the entire manor was clean. That included: fourteen bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a library, a formal dining room, a casual dining room, the kitchens, three offices, a conservatory and several rooms Remus was at a loss to label.

It was five a.m. and he was getting prepared to meet Antoinette Paudski in half an hour at the Sunrise Café. In the entrance hall, there were two medium-sized carriers holding three stray cats. He would have felt poorly for the ignorant creatures, but he had always found felines offensive. He supposed that it was due to his canine leanings that caused him to feel ambivalent towards the felines' future as food for his godson.

Rapidly checking to make sure that he had everything that he was going to need, he left the manor for the first time in six days with a carrier dangling from each hand.

The sun was just rising, bathing the sky in a mixture of oranges and pinks. The café had just unlocked its doors and Remus was the first customer of the day. He left the two carriers on the ground by an outdoor table and purchased his morning tea and juice. He had been sitting outside for only a few minutes when a woman wearing a dark overcoat glided up to him.

"Mr. Lupin?" came the silky, feminine voice.

"Yes. Mrs. Paudski?"

The figure nodded her head and gracefully sat across from the werewolf. Remus took a closer inspection of the female vampire. Because she was non-magical, she did not benefit from the ability to hide her skin tone. Her fangs were retracted, but still appeared as sharp canines. Her eyes were an unusual honey tone that glistened in the morning light. She blinked several times before casting her eyes downward to shield them from the harsh rays. She was a petite woman, only standing 5' 3", but the way she carried herself belied her hidden strength.

"Where exactly is this place?"

"The other side of London. I'll be apparating you there and back. We used to have anti-Apparition wards over the entire property and the houses next door. So, escaping should be even more difficult than getting in. The Hunters present will probably call for back up when we appear."

"How far does this ward extend?"

"Only to the directly neighboring houses. The Fidelius was on the property itself. But the anti-Apparition ward was an extra security measure to prevent someone from being kidnapped and forced into side-along Apparition with Death Eaters."

* * *

The two appeared in between Numbers 11 and 13. Remus felt the familiar tickle of human magic and was immediately on alert. 

"Can you see the house?" he asked anxiously.

"The really depressing and decrepit one? Yes, I see it. Hang on to me and I'll get us through."

It was an indescribably odd sensation to pass through such unusual wards. They simultaneously welcomed and rejected him. He could vaguely hear shouted commands that he assumed came from the Hunters who were on duty. But the moment they entered the property, they vanished from sight as well.

"Be quiet in the hall. When I was here last, Mrs. Black's portrait was still up. Needless to say, the woman was a harpy when she was alive, and it's even worse now that she's stuck in one place."

The house was eerily silent. If Remus did not know any better, he would have assumed that it was abandoned. Remus led the way to the stairs, his sense of foreboding increasing with every step he took. He had made it halfway down the hallway when he noticed that Antoinette was no longer following him.

He turned completely around to see what had caught the vampire's attention. One of the doors was slightly ajar. Antoinette placed her hand in the center and lightly pushed the door the rest of the way open.

Sunlight was filtering into the room through partially closed blinds. The dust caught in the light and floated about the bedroom, giving it an even more ethereal feel. But the woman's eyes were glued on the small figure huddled under the blankets.

All of her instinctual fear of daylight fled as she rushed to the side of the bed to get to her small son. Gently, she laid her hand on his shoulder. With soft rubs, she brought Matthas back to consciousness.

Blearily, he opened his eyes and blinked to clear his vision. "Mum?"

Antoinette nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Mum!" With that, Matthas leapt into her awaiting arms. He dropped all of the masks he had carefully maintained and openly sobbed in this mother's embrace.

Remus was watching silently in the doorway. He was thrilled that the boy was safe and reunited with the charming woman; but it only made him that much more anxious to find his own charge.

With surprising strength, Mrs. Paudski lifted the boy and carried him out of the room and proceeded to follow Remus to the next floor.

By the time they reached the next hallway, Matthas had calmed down enough to talk to them. "He's refused to get up and do anything. All he does is sit in that room looking at a bunch of photos."

Remus grimaced. He had a good idea what Harry was going through. He could not imagine what he would have done if his friends had abandoned him. He supposed that he was lucky that James was a fellow Dark Creature and Sirius a Dark Wizard.

Harry, unfortunately, did not have that luxury. The Weasleys were a notoriously Light family. Ron had had enough difficulty coming to terms with Hagrid only being half-giant. Ginny's close shave with the young Tom Riddle had scarred her to the point of paranoia. Remus was only moderately surprised with Hermione's reaction. It was obvious that she was infatuated with the Weasley boy. She had been so proud of his ambition and job offer that it was unsurprising that she would choose to support her fiancé's beliefs in this matter.

Remus was startled out of his thoughts by Matthas saying, "He's in that one."

The werewolf groaned. It was no wonder Harry was lost in his photo album. The room he had sequestered himself in was Sirius's old room. He was sure that he only wanted to have some sense of closeness to a parental figure. Unfortunately, there were too many ghosts in the young man's past to allow this simple gesture to be anything other than detrimental.

Remus set the pet carriers down in the hallway and turned the door handle. The room was completely dark. Heavy velvet curtains shut out the sun and made the room feel like a musty mausoleum. His amber eyes glowed as they adjusted to the absence of light.

The werewolf nearly wept at the pathetic sight that met his eyes. A nearly translucent and thin teenaged boy was curled around an old leather-bound photo album, absent-mindedly stroking a picture. He did not even take notice as Remus edged further into the room. Mrs. Paudski was keeping Matthas from following, just in case the situation turned on Remus.

He quietly backed out of the room and grabbed the two cat carriers before approaching the bed once again and carefully sat down on the edge of the musty mattress.

"Harry …" he called, "Harry …"

It was clear that he had not been eating properly since his entrapment in the house. His glamours were down and his face appeared hollowed. When he finally responded to Remus's calls, he gazed dully up at his surrogate godfather. The werewolf looked from that haunted face to the picture that had been the subject of such scrutiny.

It had been taken at night in the Great Hall a month after Voldemort's defeat. No one was sure how Harry had killed him or managed to survive, then escape a manor filled with Death Eaters. Remus always supposed Harry utilized every last vampiric skill he owned. The people in the photo were happy, gathered around Harry and giving him congratulations. On either side of him was Ron and Hermione. The rest of the Weasleys were gathered behind Ron, beaming. Tonks, Mad Eye, Shacklebolt and the others that had a direct hand in training him were behind Hermione. Remus stood directly behind Harry, his hand on the boy's shoulder. The professors were scattered throughout the background; the most notable was Snape, who stood by the edge of the photo, scowling. Dumbledore was at the other back corner, twinkling proudly. He seemed to give the entire floor and future to the victorious young man. It was a reminder of happier times before the Ministry started to inflict harsher penalties of all beings associated with Voldemort.

Remus's only saving grace was that the werewolves were split between both sides. He had managed to successfully get several packs' support, and they were crucial in winning the war. Vampires, however, had held a much more negative view in society; those who _were_ vampires either hid what they were or openly aligned with the Dark Lord. Those that _did_ reveal themselves were automatically assumed to be with Voldemort. The euphoria that came with the Light's victory lasted a full six months before it eventually gave way to paranoia as more Death Eaters were uncovered and thrown into Azkaban. Fudge and his supporters used this to their advantage, pushing through the vampire legislation that effectively set their own Savior against them.

Remus looked from the image of the not-so-distant-past to the true victim of the Wizarding World. His fangs were fully distended and his irises red-rimmed in his hunger. Slowly, Remus bent to pick up the cat carriers with the two strays, keeping his eyes on the unpredictable vampire at his side. Reaching in, he grabbed one by the scruff of the neck and pulled it, forcibly, from the cage.

Before Remus could blink, the cat was torn from his grasp. It made one terrified screech; then it was silenced by a pair of fangs embedding themselves in its throat. The werewolf quickly pulled the second cat out just in time to see the lifeless body of the gray tabby drop to the floor.

Harry took more time with this stray. A low rumble came from Harry's chest. Remus opened the last carrier and hauled the frightened calico into his lap. He grimaced when its claws dug into his thigh. The young vampire dropped the second cat and gazed up at Remus. The red lining about his irises had greatly receded, but the hunger was still obviously present.

Remus pried the cat from his lap and handed it to the boy. With much smoother and calmer movements, Harry took the animal into his arms and fed. The older man wrapped his arm around his cold godson. The boy curled into his side, small suckling sounds coming from him. Slowly, the wet noises died out and Remus lifted him into his lap and held him close.

"Oh Merlin, Remus! What am I supposed to do now? My best friends abandoned me after we've been through so much together."

Remus tightened his grip on the trembling teen. "First, you have to drink from me to gain your strength back. Then, we have to avoid the Hunters stationed outside and get to Potter Manor. And don't worry about drinking too much. I can handle myself," he said with a tight smile.

Harry dragged his tongue over his bloody teeth and swallowed the remainder of the cats' blood. Carefully, he wrapped his left arm about Remus's neck and pulled himself up to lean on his shoulder. Hunger still ruled him. With a light sniff, he caught the intoxicating smell of the adult blood flowing just beneath the surface of the skin. His fangs extended and he gently inserted them into the side of Remus's neck.

Remus winced as the sharp teeth pierced his skin, but adjusted quickly to the odd sensation and wrapped his right arm about the boy's shoulders. Harry's arm tightened as the first sip of blood touched his tongue. He groaned at the rich, exotic flavor and shifted to get a better angle.

Remus blinked away the fog that was overtaking his vision. He reached behind his head and pried the vampire's hand from his neck at much protest.

"You have to stop now."

The vibrations his voice made rolled through his throat and up into Harry's fangs. It was not the most pleasant sensation to feel through teeth and caused him to retract his fangs slightly from the tissue they were embedded in.

Remus used this opportunity to call Harry back to reality. Reluctantly, he pulled away and licked the wound closed. The werewolf shivered at the intimate gesture and quickly shook himself.

Harry was leaning against his chest, breathing heavily. It would not make up for starving himself for the entire week, but he was significantly better than he had been. He had a slight flush to his cheeks and his eyes glowed a more intense emerald. The glamour was still down, but at this point, it would not make any difference.

Remus calmly stoked Harry's back as they both regained their senses. As their breathing evened out, Harry stirred in the werewolf's lap.

Remus bent his head to whisper into Harry's ear, "You okay?"

Harry gave a slow nod and slid out of Remus's arms and back onto the bed. He ducked his head slightly, clearly embarrassed at his situation and lack of control.

Remus casually draped an arm about Harry's shoulders. "Don't worry about it cub. I didn't expect you to know when to let go. Not only was this your first time feeding from something other than animals, but you had also been starved for blood. You actually did very well, given the circumstances."

The boy leaned into his surrogate godfather and they sat in companionable silence, merely soaking up comfort from each other. Remus discretely tilted his head to the side to look at the Paudskis still standing in the hallway. Mrs. Paudski gracefully turned and made her way back downstairs to await the werewolf and young vampire.

Remus finally broke the silence, "So, are you ready to show the Hunters exactly who they are messing with? After all, who can defeat two Marauders?"

Harry looked up and saw the cheeky grin on the werewolf's face and smirked mischievously back up at him. "Not to mention that we have two vampires and one werewolf." He paused momentarily. "They have no idea the trouble they have gotten into, do they?"

* * *

The four were gathered in the dank entrance hall of Grimmauld Place. Remus had taken a quick look outside to determine exactly where the Hunters were. From what he could determine, there were at least five stationed across the street in the gardens of Numbers 11 and 13. He could smell at least two more in the yards of the houses next door, which brought the number up to seven. He was sure that they were all skilled Aurors that were trained to kill vampires, theoretically. 

They would have left out the back door, but the yard had never been weeded or cut and was extremely overgrown. The fence was rusted and jagged and only created an additional obstruction in their escape route. From what Harry could tell in his quick examination of that portion of the property, there were only three Hunters positioned to intercept them, but they could easily call for reinforcements and they had no obstructions in their view of the currently invisible rear garden.

So, the only option was to devise a Marauder-worthy plan. The benefit of having four people was that all of Remus's plans needed four people to execute them, a remnant from his planning sessions with James and Sirius. Peter may not have been helpful in the planning, but his small size and empty-headed personality allowed him to slip into places completely unnoticed and underestimated. Unfortunately, the Marauders themselves fell to the same deception they had used throughout their seven years of schooling.

In this case, they had two people who could apparate. But, there was no way that Antoinette was going to let a seventeen year old guard him when there was a perfectly capable adult to protect him. So, instead of staying in one group, they would run to the least protected areas and apparate from there. By staying in the yards, they could use various bushes to shield them from unfriendly spells. If they crossed the road, they would have been open to attack from all sides.

Remus would take Matthas to the left and Harry would apparate himself and Mrs. Paudski past the anti-apparition ward on the right. This would divide their forces neatly in two to capture them. Remus knew he would be slightly slower because he would carry Matthas, but he hoped that the Hunters would shoot first and waste valuable seconds before realizing that they were not vampires. In these precious seconds, the two vampires could make it outside the wards and apparate away before the rest of the Hunters converged on them and overwhelm them with sunlight spells to their already vulnerable skin.

Harry did not have any Shade of Night Potion, so he would be at extreme risk. His Wizarding nature would protect him for several hours, but any additional light could leave a second degree burn at the least and fatal at the worst. Mrs. Pauski would be slightly more resilient because she had taken her dose immediately before she set out for the day, but if Moody was outside, she would still be in trouble if she got hit. The man may not be able to move as quickly as he once had, but his spells had not lost any of their power.

They quickly scanned to make sure that Matthas's and Harry's trunks were shrunk and secured in their pockets before they left the house. Cautiously, the four opened the front door and stepped into the bright light of late morning. Remus moved to the far left side of the property and observed the oblivious Hunter hiding behind the large bush in the front garden. It was odd to stare at a man that was searching for him desperately, and could not see what stood two feet in front of his face.

Remus turned to see where Harry and Antoinette were. They were standing directly opposite him, staring down the offending Auror in their path. Harry already had a spell on his lips and Remus nodded, sending a stunner directly into the nameless Hunter's face. He flew backwards and hit his head on the cement front stairs. Remus winced slightly, but took his opening and sprinted as quickly as he could towards the edge of the wards.

A red beam grazed his ear and made his hair stand on end. He scrambled and dodged another stunner. Briefly glancing to his right, he saw three former Aurors focusing on him. He silently prayed that this gave Harry enough of an opportunity to evade his own. He felt a slight tug as he reached free air and apparated as soon as he set foot on the other side of the warded grounds. As the pop echoed in the air, three violently red curses flew through the now empty spot.

Unfortunately for Harry and Antoinette, the first Hunter they faced was in open territory and signaled the others on the side of the house that the long-awaited escape was upon them. So, instead of the two Hunters across the street, they had three more appear on their right and attempt to cage them in.

Harry quickly ducked and rolled as a sunlight spell came from behind him. The fallen Hunter was now revived and attempting to redeem himself for his earlier mistake. The two vampires sprinted at full speed towards the edge of the property and dove as several stakes whirred by. Blasts of sunlight scorched the grass.

The barrage of spells cluttered the air as the vampires danced to avoid the danger. However, with so many spells aimed at them, one was bound to eventually hit their target. Antoinette let out a screech as her ankle was caught by a stray beam of sunlight. Smoke rose from the damaged area and she fell, her momentum propelling her to the very edge of the wards.

Harry dashed forward and grabbed the petite woman beneath her armpits and hauled her to the apparition zone and rapidly popped away, leaving the Hunters cursing in their wake.

**

* * *

A/N: So, it's been quite awhile. Believe it or not, I have been working diligently on my two stories. However, if you check out my profile, you will see what else I have been working on. ;) **


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**The Bloodshed After the War**

_Previously:_

_The barrage of spells cluttered the air as the vampires danced to avoid the danger. However, with so many spells aimed at them, one was bound to eventually hit their target. Antoinette let out a screech as her ankle was caught by a stray beam of sunlight. Smoke rose from the damaged area and she fell, her momentum propelling her to the very edge of the wards._

_Harry dashed forward and grabbed the petite woman beneath her armpits and hauled her to the apparition zone and rapidly popped away, leaving the Hunters cursing in their wake._

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Get Yourself Some Rebel Pride**

They landed roughly in an alley near the Sunrise Café. Quickly reorganizing, Remus grabbed an empty coffee cup from the rubbish bin and turned it into a portkey. Harry got Antoinette to put a finger on it and the four were off in a blur of colors.

Their landing was harsh, jarring. Antoinette fell on her injured ankle, and she bit through her lip—it was all she could do to keep from screaming. A thin dribble of blood ran down her chin. Remus curled his arm about her waist to help support her on the trek up to the front door. Matthas kept casting concerned glances at his mother as he watched them move forward; he knew she was in tremendous pain, but she refused to let the smallest whimper escape her lips.

The bright, early afternoon sun beat down on the hillside, but did nothing to warm the cold December air. The burn she had received had taxed the limits of the Shade of Night Potion and the bright sun was causing her excruciating pain. The sooner they made it indoors, the faster she could start to heal.

Remus saw the boys' worried looks and hefted the petite woman into his arms and quickened his pace. He flung the door open and set her on the parlor sofa. Harry and Matthas were close behind. Matthas quickly went to his mother's side as Remus rolled up her pant leg.

The burn had spread to encompass her whole ankle, heel and part of her calf. Where she had been directly struck was blackened and faded to a dark red at the edges. For a moment, Remus looked mildly horrified; then he shuttered his emotions, leaving his expression passively blank.

Meanwhile, Harry had tossed his trunk to the ground, which expanded as it landed. Haphazardly tossing its contents on the floor, he finally located a both a burn salve and a pain reliever. Remus deftly caught them as Harry threw them over the back of the sofa.

The werewolf handed the injured vampire the gray sludge. "Drink it."

She gave him an incredulous stare, but knocked it back in one gulp at her son's encouraging nod. Instantly, she relaxed as the pain reliever flowed throughout her system.

Remus poured some of the burn salve directly on the wound before gently spreading it out. He repeated this process until the burn was completely covered in slick potion, then pointed his wand at it and incanted, "_Episkey_." Clean, white bandages wrapped themselves around her foot and lower calf.

Sighing slightly in relief, Remus called for a house elf and had him move the luggage to the appropriate rooms. Harry's was moved into the Master bedroom, which was across the hall from Remus's already determined quarters. The Paudskis were on the second floor in two adjacent rooms. Remus had a feeling that they would not be returning home now; it was much more likely that Mr. Paudski would be coming to stay with them instead. And no healthy, elven year old boy would want to share a room with his parents.

Only the upper most rooms still needed work. They included several more bedrooms, bathrooms, a small sitting area and the attic. The attic would take the most amount of time and it was something that should be saved for Harry to do when he had the time to go through his ancestors' belongings.

It was only afternoon and Remus was beyond exhausted. Briefly, he entertained the notion that this must be what Harry always felt like at this time of the day. He wandered into the kitchen and started to fix himself a cup of coffee, but was interrupted by the female elf.

"What is yous doing? Thats is Tippy's job."

Within a matter of moment, Remus was seated at the casual dining room table, a warm cup of coffee cradled in his hands. He supposed that he should write to Dumbledore to tell him that everything had worked out, but he did not want the mail to be intercepted before they had placed the permanent blood wards. Just because the Potters' ancestral land was impossible to locate at the moment did not mean it would stay that way: one correctly placed tracer charm on an owl would be all it took to find them. It would be different once the wards were set; after the owl crossed the wards and entered the extensive multi-acre property, all of the tracer spells in the world could not get though.

He was half-way through his mug of coffee when the male elf led Harry and Antoinette into the dining room. Harry smiled down at the small creature. "Thank you, Sammy," he said. The elf beamed before popping out of existence, most likely to continue cleaning the upstairs rooms.

Antoinette sat in the closest chair. No sooner than the time it took her to prop her leg up on another chair, than a hot cup of coffee appeared in front of her. Gratefully, she sipped on the hot liquid. Harry sat next to Remus, drinking from is own cup in silence.

"The house elves seem to think that we will be staying," Antoinette said finally.

Remus glanced at Harry to get his approval before speaking. "You're more than welcome to leave if you wish. But, after today, your house will be monitored for your return. It would be safest for your whole family if you remained here."

"And my husband?"

Harry quickly replied, "More than welcome to stay. I'll wait to set the wards until he arrives." There was a lapse in the conversation.

"How are we going to get him? I can't bear any more sunlight today, so I can't take you."

"If you gave me a note to give your husband, further explaining the situation, I can call a taxi from the café you met me at. Getting him back here will be a simple matter of Apparition."

Antoinette nodded her acquiescence and slowly made her way to her room to write her letter.

Harry looked over at Remus once they were alone. He knew a hard conversation was coming, mostly because of his escapist attitude. He did not want to get involved in another war, but this one seemed to be sucking him in just as surely as the last war had.

"Have you thought of taking other vampires in?"

Harry was silent. The thought _had_ briefly crossed his mind. But that would set him up as the leader of a coven and responsible for a dozen or more lives. In the Order, he had been responsible for ultimate goals and related problems. If Ron and Hermione had decided to vanish all day, that was their business as long as it did not interfere with their missions or anyone else's. Being the Master of a coven, though, was a very involved position that included knowing everything about the vampires underneath of him. Established covens could have as many as one hundred vampires beholden to it. The Master was likely a couple of centuries years old and knew all of the members from the day they were born or turned. They were not necessarily magical, but probably had at least one Wizarding Vampire on their Council.

Realistically, starting a new coven would be nearly impossible. It would be small and _all_ of the vampires he would invite would be young and powerless in comparison to the older covens. The only thing they would have going for them was the fact that Harry may be incredibly young; but even by Wizarding standards, Harry was powerful. He would have no problems controlling a coven as long as they could locate trustworthy people who were not already under the protection of another coven for whatever reason.

If he had fifty more years to increase his influence in the Vampire community, he would be in an ideal place to start a coven of his own. But, as it was, he was being put in the position _now_. Harry sighed; the world never did anything to his convenience.

He knew Remus was right, though. Whether he wanted it or not, he was going to be a figurehead in this war, and he might as well offer protection to as many as he could. After all, he had the space and the land for it. The question now became: Who to invite? Antoinette would be crucial in coming up with a list of possible people. Harry was extremely isolated from the vampiric community, first in a muggle household and then in a Wizarding school. His knowledge of vampires was through personal experience, and later through texts. It was rare to find a truly neutral or accurate book, but in Third Year, Remus gave him several to look over in their private tutoring sessions. His first foray into the vampiric community was turning into a situation akin to jumping into the ocean with only a textbook for a swim instructor.

A tapping came from the window, jostling the two from their thoughts. The owl swooped over the table, deposited the _Daily Prophet_ and left in rapid succession.

**Harry Potter: Savior or Killer?**

_Special Correspondent: Vibridus Slane_

_In a startling announcement from the Ministry, it was released that Harry Potter is a born vampire. It is suspected that James Potter and several other members of the Potter family were vampires. This leaves us wondering: Why did Harry Potter kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? The motives for this are unclear._

_In an interview with the Weasley children, including the young Mr. Ronald Weasley, trainee Hunter, Potter held Mrs. Weasley hostage, threatening to drain her of blood should they fail to leave the house they were all residing in. Thankfully, Molly Weasley was not harmed in the incident. The house suddenly vanished behind a Vampire Blood Ward. However, the vampiric "Savior" refused to be taken into custody and broke through the Hunters' line and Apparated away. As of now, there is a warrant for the capture of Harry Potter, dead or alive. Any information that leads directly to the capture of the notorious Wizarding Vampire will receive a 1000 galleon reward. Forward all information to Alastor Moody at the Department of Vampire Control at the Ministry._

_**For more on Harry Potter's descent into darkness see page A-10**_

Harry looked across the table at Remus. Their time spent in neutrality was exceptionally short. With this newest declaration from the Ministry and the assignation of Moody to the task of finding, and most likely killing, Harry, they had no time to waste. Whether he wanted to get involved in another war or not, the decision had been taken out of his hands.

The teenager sighed. "Well, that's that." The newspaper caused a rush of air to flutter across the table. "I suppose now would be the time to ask Antoinette about which vampires she would trust and who are lacking a safe, permanent residence."

Remus gave a stony nod. "We have ten available rooms. And I wouldn't suggest more than fifteen new residents; otherwise it will get very crowded in here. Feeding shouldn't be a problem; you can Apparate and London is only a half-an-hour drive away. We'll have to see about increasing the house elf staff, though. There's no way that two could keep up with the mess that twenty people can generate."

Harry absently nodded. He had a feeling that the house elf situation was going to be infinitely easier to solve than the others. Conjuring a piece of paper and pencil, Harry started to draw up a To-Do list in chronological order; the first item on the list being to bring Mr. Paudski to the manor and then to erect the blood wards over the entire property. Harry ruefully recognized the Hermione-like action and shoved the bitter feeling down.

A soft, irregular gait came down the hallway. Remus looked up from the paper, "You know, you'll heal faster if you stay off that ankle."

Antoinette's honey eyes flashed in irritation. "I would if I didn't need to worry about my husband being attacked by overzealous Hunters."

Harry looked up from his work. "You know, Remus is right about the ankle, and I'm sure Matthas is just as concerned. Are you sure you should be leaving him alone? If you need anything, just call Sammy. He could have brought the letter down for you." Sighing, he stood up. There was no way either she or Matthas would have known to call Sammy. "But it's a good thing you're here anyway. While Remus is getting your husband, we can go over the list I've been drawing up."

Antoinette sat down, her irritation forgotten as she looked over Harry's list. She supposed it was a good thing that she was present. The preliminary plans were fine, but he would need an advisor to help him choose the most valuable of the unattached vampires that would willingly follow a teenager into a blossoming war.

As Antoinette started scribbling on a spare piece of parchment, Remus discretely left the kitchen. Looking down at the address, he realized that the house was only a couple of blocks away from the café. With a near silent pop, he Dispparated and reappeared in the alley he had just left several hours previously.

A strange scent wafted to his nose. It was the combination of potent magic and attempted subterfuge. It was no longer fresh; the scent was steadily dissipating. It did not take much to figure out that the Aurors and Hunters had traced their Apparation signatures to this point and attempted to determine where they had disappeared to next. Remus was sure that the only reason they had gone undiscovered was because of the Unplottable wards on Potter Manor.

He turned down the street, desperate to reach his destination. It was possible that they had found out about the Paudski residence from the Ministry's Office of Records or they would shortly.

The house was small, perfect for three people, but no more than that. One light was on in the back, possible the sitting room or kitchen. Remus glanced about uneasily. There was no sign of the Aurors or Hunters having come down this way yet, which made Remus all the more anxious to get Mr. Paudski before they were cornered.

The graying werewolf rang the doorbell. Hurried footsteps came down the hall. A small, middle-aged man stood in the doorway; he was starting to get a slight paunch about his middle and wrinkles were starting to show on his face. "Who are you?" he said through narrowed blue eyes.

"Remus Lupin. You wife sent me." With that, Remus held out the letter from Antoinette to the suspicious man.

Seeing the familiar handwriting, he said, "You'd better come in while I read this." Pausing to offer his hand, "My name is Tom."

Remus gladly shook it. It did not take much more from him to convince Tom to pack what he could and come with him to Potter Manor. His festering concern for his son's well-being ever since the new anti-vampire laws had been instated and his wife's prolonged absence was enough for him to trust the letter and the strange man it came with. He was sure that there was more to him then met the eye; after all, his wife _never_ trusted a wizard.

* * *

Harry sliced his thumb open on one sharp fang. Steadily, he walked over to Remus, looking him in the eyes before running his bloody appendage in a vertical line on the werewolf's forehead between his eyes, leaving a red trail sparkling in its wake. Quickly, he moved to do the same to Matthas and his father. Both seemed reluctant to allow Harry to adorn them with the viscous liquid, but they knew it was necessary if they were going to be able to reach the house once the wards were established.

Harry had traversed the grounds earlier that day to make sure that the neighboring estates would not suddenly be missing half of their property. He set large crystals along the original property lines and modified them when it seemed as if they were being tended by the nearby muggles.

Leaving the house, he strode to the first stone. Deftly re-injuring himself because his skin had already knitted back together, he dripped several drops of blood along the crystals and moved clockwise about the property, making sure to include every crystal he had laid out on the expansive property. It took a further two hours to walk around the property before he was able to return to the actual manor for the final application of Vampiric magic. By now, he was slightly dizzy from continually injuring himself and knew that he would have to feed off of Remus when the final casting was completed.

Everyone was still gathered in the foyer when he returned. Harry wearily shut the door behind him and slit his palm one last time. As he touched the door, magic flared and expanded, encompassing the manor and fleeing outwards to the crystals. For one brief moment, the wards flared a brilliant ruby before the property vanished completely.

Harry collapsed in on himself. The combination of blood loss and magical expenditure rendered him unconscious. Remus strode over to his side and lifted the teen into his arms. The moment the wards had come to life, he could feel them trickle down his pine as they recognized the blood that adorned his forehead. As of this point, the residents of Potter Manor were the safest they could possibly be.

Gently, Remus deposited his burden on the Master bed. He drew his wand and cast an alert spell to tell him when his surrogate godson awoke. He brushed the fringe off of the pale forehead before silently exiting.

* * *

Night had just fallen, three hours after Harry had finished warding the manor. A soft beeping noise floated down the stairs, causing Remus to put down the plans Harry and Antoinette had made. The werewolf made his way up the stairs and to Harry's side.

"Remus …" the teen rasped.

"I know Harry. It's fine."

The young vampire leaned into Remus's side, slinging one arm about his shoulders. The werewolf obligingly tilted his head to allow him better access. Harry was much more competent this time. It would not take long before he would be able to hunt on his own amongst the muggle population.

Harry was fully alert. It was nothing like the last time. His control was much more obvious. Instead of losing himself in the rush that came with feeding, he was able to enjoy the experience and make it less painful for Remus.

Remus gave him a small smile. "I think Antoinette is finished with that list and is waiting to go over it with you."

Harry nodded his acknowledgement. "Have you seen it yet?"

"Yes. She's included about 25 people with their ages and respective skills."

"So we have 9 people to cut from her list and invitations to send out. I'm sure Hedwig will enjoy the exercise."

Remus patted him on the back in a silent show of support. They went downstairs together to start assembling the newest vampire coven.

* * *

It was 4 o'clock in the morning and the birds were just starting to wake. A young woman and man stood outside of the property. They looked no more than twenty. The male had muddy brown hair and stunning bronze eyes. He stood at 6'2" with a dancer's lithe physique. The girl barely came to his shoulder. Her long hair fell in graceful black waves down her back; her eyes were a fathomless ebony that seemed to soak up all available light.

Their hands were clasped tightly together, the engagement ring on her hand digging painfully into their skin. It was the only outward sign of nervousness they permitted themselves—they, who had so many reasons to worry. With seeming calm, they breached the wards and walked towards the large manor in the distance. Hopefully, it would be different from their past. Unbidden, memories of their lives after they had been turned flashed through their minds.

_They were sixteen and on a date. There was no one else on the road, or so they had thought. As he leaned in for a kiss, strong arms grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth. His girlfriend was in the same position. Her eyes were clouded in fear. He desperately struggled to break free and rescue her, but the cold hands tightened their iron grip, causing him to flail aimlessly._

_A sharp, piercing pain in the side of his neck brought him back to his own predicament. He felt himself go weak and limp as his blood pumped out of his body. The only thought in his mind was that there really were such things as vampires. He passed out before he was aware of a wrist being pressed against his lips._

_He woke to the sounds of fighting. "We can't leave them. They won't know how to fend for themselves."_

"_Turning unwilling victims is against the law vampire! You are under arrest by order of the Ministry of Magic."_

"_You have no jurisdiction over us, Auror," the second creature hissed._

_Several bright lights flew from tiny sticks towards the darkest section of the alley. A shriek echoed against the stone buildings._

_He crawled over to his girlfriend. She was pale and cold to the touch. A bright light beamed from the end of one of the sticks, making him flinch away and cover what he could of his girlfriend from this new threat._

_A dark-skinned man came forward. "What do we do with them?"_

"_We can't take the risk of them running about with no control. It's best we kill them and put them out of their misery."_

"_Yes sir."_

_Two wands leveled themselves at the newly turned vampires. Survival instinct kicked in and before they could utter a single syllable, he picked up his date and ran._

The two of them spent the next year learning all they could about what they were, how to survive, and trying to locate their sires. When they did, they were highly disappointed. They were turned away from the coven as possible Ministry spies. The letter from the legendary Harry Potter came as a shock and happy surprise. Finally, they would have a place to call their own after nine years of living on the run. Someplace they would be safe from both Hunters and the elder vampires who tried to control the covenless population. Fia Auker and Bevan McKeown knocked on the door of the place they would call home forevermore.**  
**

* * *

**A/N: I hated writing this chapter. It just wouldn't flow right and the characters were all over the place. But I needed a transition chapter so that I could get to the action and the explanations behind it all. ERG! It just didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I hope you forgive the wait, but I've been trying to get it to work better than originally. The first draft was a mess. However, it's over 1000 words longer than the last chapter.**

**If any of you can think of some interesting surnames I could use for my characters, I would really appreciate it. If you have a reason for me using the name (e.g. meaning, history, random humorous story) it would make it easier for me to select a last name for my characters. I'm fine with selecting meaningful first names, but I always get stuck on the last names.**


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J. K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade_

**The Bloodshed After the War**

_Previously:_

_Finally, they would have a place to call their own after nine years of living on the run. Someplace they would be safe from both Hunters and the elder vampires who tried to control the covenless population. Fia Auker and Bevan McKeown knocked on the door of the place they would call home forevermore._

**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Hunt**

It did not take long for the manor to fill up. Bevan and Fia found positions for themselves quickly under Harry's leadership. Fia was obsessed with electronics and put her skills to use installing an airtight muggle security system. The Covens' fear that they could be Ministry spies was not baseless paranoia.

The Ministry of Magic was well known for promising fledglings protection in exchange for inside information on the British covens. The fledglings were well taken care of until either the Coven found out about their betrayal and they were killed for it; or they discovered all they were sent in to find out, and no on knew what happened to the vampires then, but they were never heard from or seen again. It was speculated that they were given to the Unspeakables to study, which would explain the origination of the Revealing Powder.

It was because of these individuals that the Blood Wards were not one hundred percent foolproof and they needed a muggle security system to catch any infiltrators that may attempt to lead the Hunters through the wards. Of course, the bargain with the Hunters would probably be for Sanctuary from the law. But, all of the Covens were aware of the fate that would befall the abandoned fledglings. After they had lost their usefulness, they too would be slaughtered to preserve the so-called Light.

Fia took one of the newest arrivals under her command and started to overhaul the Manor. Installing electricity throughout a Wizarding home was proving to be difficult. Every time something successfully worked, a magical burst would fry the circuitry. So, they were now in the process of trying to get the circuits to run off of magic. Fia, with the help of Remus, drew up the preliminary schematics for a magic filtering system. It would convert the ambient magic to a useable power source and hopefully allow the video and other security measures to function in the magically saturated area. They were making some progress towards a fully operational system, but it was still largely theoretical.

Bevan had been appointed to personal security; or in other words, he was Harry's bodyguard. It was widely recognized that Harry could handle himself under almost any given situation, but it was nice to have an extra set of eyes to avoid any surprises. Harry fought the bodyguard issue until Antoinette and Remus told him that even the centuries old coven leaders had them. Vampires were territorial and it was common for a younger coven to attempt to assassinate the leader of a more influential coven to gain prestige, power and territory.

Conversely, the established covens destroyed as many young, upstart covens as possible to keep their territories supreme and unchallenged. However, the infighting amongst the vampires had almost ceased to exist because of the larger threat the Ministry posed. When the war was over, Harry's status as a coven leader would be put to the test against the other leaders. Hopefully, the Potter name would command respect, if not for Harry's individual feats, then for the centuries of history and pureblooded vampire lineage.

However, the world of vampire politics was significantly more cutthroat than human standards. It was for this reason Harry was thankful for one of the newer arrivals, Colby Dempsey. The man stood at 5' 10" with coal black hair tied back in a low ponytail. His eyes were a stunning silver that shone with a cunning intelligence. Although he appeared no older than 23, he had actually recently turned 70. He had a large network of illicit connections that he retained from his life with the mafia in the late 1940s. This mad him the most experienced vampire in Harry's group of advisors.

He had been out with two of his mafia friends on a deal with a couple of vampires that belonged to the Johaness Coven. It was supposed to be a straight gun deal. They needed them to defend from another warring coven, and Colby supposed the Ministry of Magic as well. The deal turned sour when the vampires could not fork over the entire sum of money they owed plus the required interest. However, the mafia was unprepared for the sheer brute strength hidden behind those elegant bodies. One of the boys died before the vampires could be fought off. But they managed. However, Colby was attacked from behind by a lingering vampire that had come as backup. He was turned before he knew what was going on. When he woke up again, he was back at their boss's house with the most brutal thirst he had ever experienced.

They had explained to him what had happened and that the vampire that did this to him paid the ultimate price. But family was family; and no matter the condition of the member, they would support them, as long as they did not turn traitor or fail to deliver when required. Colby was firmly protected by his mafia family and kept safe from any further attack. He moved his way up the ladder in influence and learned from the best about family politics. Eventually, the mafia's rule ended after a series of busts on the more famous families.

All of his friends were either dead, or spending their remaining days in prison. He still had quite a few contacts, especially for black market guns and other arms. He was highly recognized in the underworld as an individual with a lot of influence. But there was only so much influence could do. He wanted the feeling of belonging to a family, like he had for the majority of his life. When the invitation came to join the Harith Coven as the Political Advisor for Harry Potter, he was excited.

Whether Harry knew it or not, word of his battles against the Death Eaters had spread throughout the entire underground network. They were people from all walks of life and had no qualms about magic or any other power. As long as no one told on them, they would happily ignore the use of magic or magical creatures that pervaded their society. By joining this new coven, he would have the family he craved aw well as the increased prestige that would come from being the Political Advisor to such a powerful individual.

One last person made up the top tier of the coven, Bree Hinegardner. She reminded everyone she met of a Nordic Warrior. Her blonde hair was short to just below her ears. She stood at a tall and muscular 5' 8". Both of her boots carried knives concealed in them and she had a pistol permanently tied to her upper thigh. Her icy blue eyes sent shivers down the most arrogant of men's spines. She was assigned a strike force of four lesser vampires. Their primary concern for the time being was the safety of the Manor, but they would soon broaden their targets to battle strategies against the Hunters and any Aurors that thought they could destroy the vampire species. She was recognized as the second under Harry for all military decisions and would collaborate with him directly on objectives.

These four along with Antoinette, composed Harry's leaders and advisors. And it was these four that accompanied Harry on one of their first hunts in London. Colby and Antoinette had been extremely informative about the inner workings of other covens. One of the most unexpected, yet pleasant, surprises had been finding out about a deal the larger covens had with club owners throughout the city. As long as no one died or was gravely injured, they were allowed to feed in their clubs.

As far as the rest of their patrons knew, they were just making out. Harry had to tap into his inheritance to get onto the VIP list at The Key, but it was well worth it. His entire coven was able to skip the lines and enter. Private rooms were set aside for their use and drinks could be sent for their "dates" if they were feeling lightheaded. Of course, they were no the only coven that hunted there, but it would take time to get onto other clubs' lists.

* * *

It had been two weeks since the Harith Coven was officially established, and well into Hogwarts' Winter Break. The school had been declared free of all vampiric influences, but a strict watch had been placed on all of Dumbledore's mail. Although no one could prove it, everyone suspected that he had collaborated with Harry to aid in his and Matthas's escape. The old man's jovial attitude at every mention of the young vampire's evasion of capture only infuriated the Hunters posted and training at the school. Because of this, it took a bit of effort for Ginny to successfully arrange for Neville and Hermione to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron to go shopping for everyone's Christmas presents. She knew Hermione would be able to wrangle Ron's temper and force him to enjoy himself if need be. 

Neville was coming for her own company. She had had a crush on Harry for years and it only escalated every time he saved her life. He was so kind and humble; but behind that façade was a deadly monster.

It was best to stay with someone who had a lot of good qualities and most importantly, trustworthy. She _knew_ Neville was completely human. The Longbottoms had never been secretive about their history or lineage. The last several centuries had not had any creature blood whatsoever. In all honesty, she would not have minded if he had been mixed with elf or fey or some other Light creature. But she had struggled so hard to return from the Darkness that consumed her childhood that she could not bear to be touched by it again.

Ron seemed alright with her dating Neville and was quickly attaching himself to the boy as his sole male friend. He was just so thrilled that she was moving on and away from "that disgusting traitorous bloodsucker" that she could have dated Draco Malfoy himself and the reaction would have been the same.

The day was bright and crisp. People bustle about the alley, shuffling from store to store purchasing the last minute Christmas presents. The holiday spirit was infectious and the four teens were greatly affected by the cheer.

Ron was barely able to contain his excitement. In the end, it had been the Ministry that had convinced him to go to Diagon Alley. A recent mandate had been passed that afforded Hunters similar rights to Aurors, which included the privilege of owning a second wand. The prospect of shooting multiple spells simultaneously was thrilling, something that not even the Boy-Who-Lived had not done so far.

Ron grabbed Hermione's hand as they strolled down the cobblestone street. Spying Ollivander's on his right, he announced, "We should split up, then switch partners after lunch so that we can get everyone's presents."

Without further ado, he dragged his girlfriend to the opposite side of the street and into the dingy store. An old man, bent double with age peered around the shelves. "Ah, Mr. Weasley. 14 inches, unicorn hair, willow, rather bendy. I heard about your recent good fortune." He shuffled over to the dusty counter and rifled through papers. "Let's see, I know I have the forms here somewhere. Ah! There we are." Triumphantly, he laid the parchment on the counter.

"What do I need forms for?" the red head asked as he stepped towards the eccentric man.

"Hmm? Oh, after we find a match, these need to be filled out so that the Ministry knows who has an extra wand and who this wand is registered to. If someone else uses it, it will be logged to avoid any messy paperwork later on and unnecessary accusations of Aurors abusing their authority."

Hermione nodded along with Ollivander. Ron just shrugged and glanced over the blank form.

Pulling out his tape measure, Ollivander began his work. Humming to himself, he pulled possible boxes from the shelves. Similar cores or wood combinations and others he felt might have potential. The tape measure fell to the wooden floor with a rough clatter as it finished its job, pushing Ollivander towards the longer wands with a more rigid shell. Several boxes later, he finished his first selection and moved back to the front where the two teens were standing.

Selecting the wand most similar to his current one, he held it out to the anxious redhead. "10 inches, Unicorn tail hair, Ash wood, flexible."

Ron attempted a _Lumos_, but it was weak, the light barely eking out from the tip.

"No. Let's see. 11 inches, Unicorn, Beech, firm." Trading wands as they were rejected, the wand-maker never lost his patience and gleefully flipped between them as soon as possible.

Finally, the pile had nearly been exhausted, when a wand responded, creating a glaring light in the shop. "Well, that seems to have done it. Congratulations Mr. Weasley, I'm sure that you will be most pleased with that wand. Yes, most pleased. Now, all I need is a drop of your blood and for you to tap the parchment with your new wand. 15 inches, Unicorn hair from the mane, Ebony with a Birch handle. Clearly a wand that will protect you from the darkness. Yes, Mr. Weasley, this wand will serve you well in your chosen profession."

Wincing as his thumb was pricked; Ron pressed it to the parchment. His name appeared along with all of the other pertinent information along with a full medical background. Tapping his new wand to the designated area, the parchment finished its job and recorded the details of it and its strengths.

The forms rolled themselves up and vanished in a puff, presumably to be filed somewhere in the Ministry.

Grinning, from ear to ear, Ron paid for the wand and left arm-in-arm with Hermione. The sun was high overhead, beating down on the shoppers, but it did not deter the frigid December wind. Bundling Hermione close to him, they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny and Neville were already awaiting them; sitting at the bar and surrounded by bags. Neville looked out of breath and slightly traumatized by his morning. Hermione and Ron sat on either side of the couple and signaled to Tom that they were ready.

The toothless old man hobbled over. "And how are you doing this afternoon?"

Ron spoke up, "We'll have four butterbeers and specials." After going to lunch together for nearly seven years, they could safely order for everyone else fairly accurately. The old man toddled off to get their order, returning moments later with a tray floating in front of him with their food.

Ron gleefully dove into his food, much to the disgust of his girlfriend. Neville shrugged and ignored the boy next to him, used to sitting across from his horrible table manners.

Ginny turned to face Hermione. "I didn't see any bags with you. Didn't you go shopping?"

Hermione gave a wry grin and shook her head. "No. We've been at Ollivander's all day so far. So we still have the first bit of shopping to do."

A sly smirk graced the redhead's face. "Well, I guess that means that we'll have to stay the night and finish tomorrow."

Hermione looked at her oddly.

G9inny smiled. "Have you ever wandered around Kings Cross district?"

Not knowing where the conversation was going, Hermione shook her head negatively.

"There's a club right around the corner from the train station. Fred and George showed me it one day to drive Mum insane with their vanishing act."

"I don't know Ginny. That's just not ..."

Ginny quickly interrupted her before she could put up too much protest. "After_ this_ year, we could all use the chance to blow off some steam."

Hermione grimaced. It was true that they could use the break, but a night club was not her scene.

Ginny sighed. "I've heard they have smaller rooms for a private setting if you don't want to be amongst the crowd."

Hermione glanced at her boyfriend who was now extolling the virtues of his new wand and hypothesizing its uses and strengths in the field. She was thrilled that he was so ambitious and determined when it came to his job, but she had a feeling that this was how others felt when she discussed studying. In all honesty, she was not comfortable with the goals of this new war. It reminded her of the Wizarding World's view of general superiority. It was what caused the goblin rebellions and for the elves to go into permanent hiding centuries ago.

On the other hand, vampires were dark creatures, fed on humans and were notoriously violent. Every text she had read supported the Ministry's decrees and demonstrated just how vicious they were. As children, they were easily controlled as their need for blood was so small. But, as they aged, they grew incapable of handling animal blood and needed to rely on human blood. There were many documented cases of people dying because of vampires and their voracious appetites. She felt poorly for losing her childhood best friend, but some things could not be overlooked.

"So?" Ginny interrupted her thoughts.

With a wry grin, Hermione shook herself out of her morose thoughts. "You know, I think you're right. We could _all_ use the break."

* * *

The five vampires strolled down the street passing the line that wrapped around the building. The bouncers were quickly becoming accustomed to the faces of the coven and were given a sheet with their names and pictures for better service. Muggles gazed wistfully at the five vampires; some out of attraction and others that wished they had enough influence to be granted immediate entrance to the party inside. The muscular and intimidating bouncer unhooked the velvet rope and let them pass with a nod. 

The dim lighting coming from the chandeliers gave the club an aristocratic feel instead of the average street club. The Key was a multi-leveled building with corners set aside for more private conversations. The dark wood gave it a warm feel that most clubs lacked. The main stairwell seemed golden from the reflection of the chandeliers in the mirrors that graced the three-story walls.

The brick walls were painted dark colors and covered with velvet wall hangings in the private rooms. Leather sofas and other furniture was set to the side to offer the guests a more private atmosphere if they needed. Red lights shone on the walls in the main areas, including the bars, which were made from oak. People crowded about the bars and flooded the dance floor to have their turn on the lit disco floor, reminiscent of _Saturday Night Fever_. Others danced off to the side on the bare floor, preferring to stay out of the spot light.

The vampires made their way to the stairs and down to the more intense party, breaking up once they got to the dance floor to find likely people to dance with and convince into a kinky "make out" session.

Bevan trailed Harry, always keeping his leader in sight. Fia was nearby, not wanting to interfere in her boyfriend's job, but wanting to be near him nonetheless. Colby had already departed to the bar and signaled the bartender for his usual drink: an ultra dry martini with a twist. Bree maneuvered herself to the edge of the dance floor and leaned against the wall. She knew an ambitious man who likely thought too much of himself would approach and attempt to convince her into going home with him. They always did and because of the benefit of eternal youth and beauty, they always would.

Harry moved out onto the floor. Women and men alike writhed about in an attempt to forget all of their problems and merely exist in the moment. Before he had gotten too far, a beautiful girl bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she blushed prettily.

Harry grinned, his eyes sparkling. "That's alright. I can't say that I mind though."

Smiling, she ran her hand up his arm. "Wanna dance?"

He pulled her close and found the beat, moving sensually against her.

Seeing that his boss was alright, Bevan started to look for a meal of his own. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fia drag a very willing mid-20s male off to the side and towards a secluded booth. Smirking at her ability to command a situation, he dragged his eyes away and focused on finding his own meal. It did not take long before he noticed a couple of women that seemed interested and near enough to Harry that he would be able to continually monitor the situation. Smiling to the blonde, he strolled over and gripped her waist, seamlessly changing from walking to dancing with practiced ease.

* * *

Ron and Hermione were sitting on one side of the table facing Ginny and Neville. The music was pounding and alcohol was flowing. They had gotten to the club early and only had to wait in line a few minutes. Ginny was thankful for Hermione's presence. This was the calmest she had seen Ron in a long time and it was mostly through Hermione's stubbornness that Ron gave into the evening of relaxation, but he seemed significantly less stressed surrounded by the muggle party scene. 

They were sitting at a table that faced the main room and entrance to assuage any of Ron's lingering nervousness. Looking up from their conversation briefly, Ginny inhaled sharply, drawing her friends' attention to the door.

"What? What is it?" Ron asked, swiveling around to look at whatever it was that had disturbed his younger sister.

His face turned bright red when he recognized who it was that had just entered the club. "What the Hell does he think he's doing here?" He shifted in his seat and started to get up, ready to knock his ex-best friend down a peg or two.

Hermione had to grab Ron's arm to prevent him from charging head first into danger. She may have let him go if it had only been Harry; but even the most capable of Hunters could not survive an encounter with five of those creatures.

Harry had already noticed them sitting in the corner as they walked in. As he danced with a beautiful, young brunette, he looked directly into Hermione's eyes. The girl ground back against him, pulling his focus back to the matter at hand. He bent his head to nuzzle at her neck. More than willing to move on to the next step, she arched her neck and rested her head on his opposite shoulder.

A smirk spread across his face and his fangs elongated past his lower lip. Glancing up once more, he saw the horrified expressions on his former friends' faces. The painful reminder of his loss pierced his heart. Hardening his resolve, he defiantly sunk his fangs into the smooth neck before him. The girl moaned and wrapped an arm behind her, pushing him into complete contact. His instinct took over and pulled her roughly back against his hips, causing the girl to groan at the erotic sensation.

The hot blood poured furiously into his mouth; the taste made all the sweeter by the hormones and pheromones the girl was emitting as she writhed beneath him. He felt her heart start to beat faster as it tried to pump blood through her body and gently removed his fangs from her neck. Licking the wound, Harry noticed that they were still dancing. She clung to him a tighter than before, but they had not missed a beat. Sparing a glance from the beautiful girl in his arms, he looked at the table holding the four witches and wizards.

Ginny looked shocked at his capability on the dance floor and his intensity with a girl that was not her. Neville appeared slightly pale. Harry was sure that the boy had not fully believed everything he had read or heard until now. Ron looked as if he was barely stopping himself from lunging across the room with a stake in each hand. Hermione was glaring disapprovingly at the both of them. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at Harry and disgruntled at the tugging on her arm from Ron, whom she had a tight grip on to prevent him from doing anything rash.

Harry swiveled his head to where Bevan was feeding in the corner. The bodyguard finished and escorted his girl to the bar and ordered her water and orange juice. Quickly and quietly, he came up behind his leader. Harry's grip tightened on the brunette possessively and whispered in her ear.

She nodded at his suggestion and they moved quickly to one of the off-shooting rooms. With one last glare, Harry looked over his shoulder at his former friends and escorted her to the privacy of the VIP suite. Looking forward to the pleasure they would both be experiencing in a few moments, he parted the velvet drapes that hung from the door frame and vanished from sight, leaving Bevan to stand guard outside with Fia who had just returned from her own feeding.

**

* * *

A/N: So, I'm trying to make the characters seem a little more reasonable and a little less extreme. Especially since they all have roles later on. I'm almost completely finished with the outline. I just have to figure out the exact order of battles and their reasoning. By the way, this is the longest chapter in this story so far!**


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize; they belong to Ms. J. K. Rowling. I DO claim the plot line and any of the unique characters you will see in here._

_Beta: Winter Moonglade and Chiara Crawford_

**The Bloodshed After the War**

_Previously:_

_She nodded at his suggestion and they moved quickly to one of the off-shooting rooms. With one last glare, Harry looked over his shoulder at his former friends and escorted her to the privacy of the VIP suite. Looking forward to the pleasure they would both be experiencing in a few moments, he parted the velvet drapes that hung from the door frame and vanished from sight, leaving Bevan to stand guard outside with Fia who had just returned from her own feeding._

**

* * *

Chapter 15 – Politics**

Remus gazed over Fia's shoulder. They had been trying for several weeks to get the magical and electrical security systems to work together. Ever since Harry spotted his former friends at the Key, they had decided to implement more muggle methods of detection.

Several other Covens had had difficulties with some of their members helping Hunters and Aurors beyond the Blood Wards. Remus supposed that the Ministry had offered them clemency in return for their services. Of course, any vampire could see through the wards and aid non-vampires across the barrier. It was far more likely that the Ministry had captured coven-less vampires and was forcing them to do their bidding. Either way, having a muggle security system that could not be fooled by magic was essential to all of their safety.

Fia was just finishing re-soldering a board as Remus watched. They had blown the circuits or wiring in the house several times while trying to get this system online. One had even started a minor fire in what was to be the Control Room in the wine cellar.

It had taken a joint effort between them discussing magical theory and electrical systems to devise a magical filter. They had found that the metal in the wires absorbed the magic and overloaded the circuits.

It did not make sense, however, how other Covens had electricity and established the Blood Wards with no problems. They could only assume that somehow, inherent magic did not have the same effect on electrical equipment as practicing magic did. So, Remus had spoken with Harry and found all of the magical protections laid on Potter Manor. The largest draw of magic was the Unplottable Charm cast over the entire property. When Harry set the crystals and established the boundaries of the Blood Wards, the two overlapped and reinforced each other. Anything trying to manipulate them further suffered a surge of magic and automatically failed.

All of the equipment was now in the cellar of the property and its magical epicenter. The theory was that the surges would be uniform at this particular point. It helped the generator, but did nothing for the wiring in the rest of the manor.

The theory they were testing now was if they could convert magic to electricity and run the generator like that. Harry had been kind enough to donate more of his blood to the project. Hopefully, the electricity, when travelling through the wires, would still have the Potter magic "flavor" and be more able to withstand the magical fluxes in and around the manor.

As Fia stood up and backed away from the generator, Remus took over. He held the bowl of blood in his hands and slowly waved his wand over it, then the generator. The red, viscous liquid slowly rose and enveloped the machinery. Ever so slowly, the blood seeped into the generator. Sweat was pouring from Remus's brow as he forced the two completely different substances together. At last, the generator had taken on a reddish hue and the blood was completely gone. Remus awkwardly stumbled backwards and lifted himself into the closest chair.

Fia flipped the circuit breaker on the generator. It thrummed to life. The dark-haired woman breathed a sigh of relief. At least the magic did not destroy the massive piece of equipment. She let it run for one more minute before heading over to the wall. Opening the metal cabinetry to reveal the circuit breakers, Fia hesitated. This was the point they usually had to race to put out a fire. She glanced over her shoulder at Remus to make sure that he was prepared for any eventuality.

Remus had wiped the sweat from his face. The magical fire alarms had been cast long ago and were at the ready should the electronics spontaneously combust once again. Fia flipped the top-most switch and held her breath as the lights flickered on. She waited a moment more before proceeding with the rest. With the last switch, the computer monitors turned on and the video feed started to transmit a signal.

They both waited anxiously, but no alarms sounded and power remained. Grinning madly, Fia swung herself into a chair and started configuring the system.

The excited atmosphere intensified as the other residents ran to the cellar to congratulate the two on finally getting the electricity up and running.

* * *

Morning dawned bright and cheerful, but only Remus and Tom Paudski were awake to enjoy it. Remus was still enjoying the afterglow of successfully merging magic and electricity, something he was sure that not even Albus Dumbledore had attempted. 

Mr. Paudski was highly grateful for the electricity to be on. Although he knew many of the same things could be accomplished through magic, it was nice to be able to flip a switch instead of lighting a candle. He also did not know how to thank Lord Potter for taking his family under his protection. Ever since the attacks on vampires had increased, he had been concerned for his wife and son. He knew he would not have been able to stop a wizard from breaking into their house and killing them all. Thanks to these two men, he was more at ease since the night his wife had been turned.

Contented silence reigned in the kitchen. The two sipped on their steaming hot cups of coffee. Eventually, Tom cleared his throat. "You know, Mr. Lupin - "

"Remus, please."

"Remus. I don't think I could ever thank either of you enough for the generosity you have shown my family."

Remus waved the thanks off. "After all Harry went through to ensure Matthas's security, I doubt he would have let you have another option."

Tom was not about to deny that fact. "Still, I would like to feel more helpful around here." He paused for a moment, trying to figure out what he could offer. With a glance outside the windows, he noticed the run down greenhouses. "I have a fairly green thumb. I would be more than happy to clean up your greenhouses."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "One of the things we need most is a large stock of nightshade. However, if we could grow all of the ingredients for the Shade of Night Potion, we would be able to conserve a large amount of funds. It is going to become extremely expensive to constantly import the ingredients through the embargo." Remus paused as if debating whether or not to ask for more. "If you wouldn't mind growing some other plants that are crucial to potions we will need to keep in stock…"

Tom grinned. "It's the least I could do. I'm sure I could get Matthas to help me as well."

Remus nodded. "It would be an excellent way for him to keep up in Herbology. I'm afraid I won't be able to schedule regular lessons with him until we get more settled in here."

"I'm sure Matthas will enjoy any excuse not to do homework."

The werewolf grinned. "Don't we all."

* * *

It was well into the afternoon when Harry made an appearance. Tom had taken Matthas to the greenhouses already, so Remus was the only one still in the house. Harry wandered into the cellar, the only other place he was likely to find the man other than the library. As expected, the graying werewolf was sitting in front of the video monitors. 

"Anything interesting?"

Remus swiveled to locate the intruding voice. Seeing his smirking surrogate godson, he smiled and shook his head. "Not unless you count the confused muggle who makes ninety degree turns when he hits the property line and doesn't even notice."

Harry nodded and pulled out the seat next to Remus. "This really is spectacular. I don't think I've seen people party like that since Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup in Fifth Year."

"I couldn't have done it without Fia."

"That doesn't mean you are any less deserving of praise."

Remus gave a sly smile. "You are really settling well into the role of Coven Leader."

Harry groaned. "Are you determined to torture me? I have no idea how we are going to accomplish any of the large goals. I'm so wrapped up in making sure we have the basics, I can't imagine when we'll be able to take an active role in this new war."

"Then I should let you know that Mr. Paudski has taken over the greenhouses and will be our source for all of the nightshade we could ever want."

Harry lit up at the good news. "That's terrific! Have you asked him where he will be getting the seeds and clippings from?"

Remus's smile froze on his face. "No …"

Before Harry could respond, an owl winged its way through the house and maneuvered down the stairwell. The large bird dropped an official looking document on Harry's lap, turned on its wing and flew out the way it had come. Harry carefully untied the scroll and stared at it in disbelief.

_Lord Harry James Potter, Leader of the Harith Coven,_

_You are cordially invited to a meeting of the prominent coven leaders. We will be discussing the situation we find ourselves in with the Wizarding World. Feel free to bring as many advisors or body guards as you deem necessary to feel comfortable. Your knowledge of the Wizarding World and any intelligence that would contribute to our race would be most useful._

_High Lord Council Leader Xavier Cointreau_

Harry sat there, numbly gripping the letter. Seeing Harry's state, Remus plucked the parchment from his nerveless fingers and quickly read the missive. He would have been stunned at the fact that someone so young had been given the honor of attending such a prestigious meeting, but he had been expecting the other coven leaders to make contact. They could not afford to ignore such a valuable source of information just because of age.

"Looks like you'll have to get a crash course in politics."

Harry groaned. "I thought I avoided that by being a war-hero."

Remus grinned sadistically. "You know things don't work out for you like that, Pup."

"Fine. Then I suppose you won't have any problems with coming with me to this meeting."

The older man spluttered, causing Harry to smirk. "Harry, do you realize the chaos it would cause to have a _werewolf_ at a _vampire_ meeting?"

"They said I should bring as much security and as many advisors as I wished to feel comfortably. Having you there will make me feel comfortable."

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the migraine he was getting. "I know nothing of the Vampire Council or who has what factions allied to them."

"That's why Colby will be going too."

Remus could not fault the young man's logic. It seemed like he was solidly stuck.

* * *

Colby was sitting in Harry's room, going over the letter. It was clear to him the reasons Harry would be invited, but he wanted to be prepared for any subterfuge that the other vampire Lords would be guaranteed to attempt. Colby would have been more than happy to do this in the study, but he knew better than to trust his leader with picking an appropriate outfit. It was not that Harry would have been so ignorant as to not dress in formal attire; however, it was important to give just the right impression: a mix between power, intelligence, yet understated to not be too presumptuous in front of the much senior coven leaders. He was also preparing to give Harry a crash course in vampire protocol. He would have delved into the politics he was going to face, but there was no time and it was more important to not offend a leader of a 200-strong coven. 

Harry stepped out of his bathroom, straightening his collar as he went. His black outfit was offset by delicate, red embroidery along the collar of the jacket and around the edges. The collar stood straight up and grazed the bottom of his jaw. The pants had the same embroidery along the hem, which came just to the top of his shoes.

Colby looked up from the letter and nodded at Harry. He had started to sit down when Colby shook his head. "We don't have time. These meetings traditionally start one hour after sundown. We'll be cutting it close as it is."

Remus was waiting for them in the Sitting Room just off the foyer. He was wearing one of the few dress outfits he owned and exuded a physical power that was usually concealed underneath his shabby robes. Colby and Harry each nodded at Remus, Harry with a slightly uncertain air. Colby glared at Harry until he assumed a more appropriate posture.

The three left the manor under Bree's control, knowing she would be able to deftly handle any situation that arose in their absence.

Colby had already explained the location of the High Lord's Mansion to both Remus and Harry so that they could successfully Apparate to the gates. Harry took Colby's elbow and vanished nearly silently from just outside the Potter wards. Remus followed suit and appeared moments later in front of what appeared to be a blank field. He stood there, confused, for several seconds before Harry realized the problem.

Quickly dropping Colby's elbow in favor of assisting Remus, Harry led the werewolf past the wards. Just inside the barrier, stood giant, wrought iron gates. There was an emblem in the center of a large calligraphic 'C' overlaid on top of a bold 'X'. As the two vampires approached the gates, they seemed to swing open of their own volition. The driveway that led up to the house was gravel and narrow. It was clear that it did not get much use for anything other than as a footpath. There were probably several cars at the mansion itself, but the older the vampire was, the more uncomfortable they were with modern conveniences.

The house itself overlooked Manchester. It was situated in the Pennine Hills to the north of the populous city. Very few vampires were magical, so covens had to be positioned closely to large cities to support the large group of predators. Simultaneously, they had to be far enough away to prevent the people from being overly curious about the mysterious inhabitants.

Before long, the three stood outside the front door. The knocker was extremely ornate with a bat head holding a rose. Harry grasped the rose stem and knocked several times before releasing it and taking a respectful half-step backwards.

A tall vampire with eyes so black they would have put Snape to shame answered the door. "Lord Potter," he greeted with a bow.

Harry inclined his head.

"Please follow me." His eyes quickly flicked to Colby and Remus, but revealed no emotion. "The meeting is about to begin."

The three followed the vampire through several hallways to an inner room. The man stopped at the double doors, nodded once to Harry and vanished into the labyrinthine manor. Remus and Colby stepped closer to Harry, Remus on Harry's left and Colby on his right. They had debated heavily over who should be on Harry's right, but had decided that having a werewolf in a greater position of power than a well respected, if relatively young, vampire would be detrimental and offend their potential allies.

As they walked into the dimly lit room, they saw a large table. Straight ahead of them, at the head of the table, sat Xavier Cointreau. The High Lord looked no older than twenty-five. His dark brown hair was tied back with a satin ribbon, reminiscent of the 18th century fashion. His silver eyes seemed to glow with power. His high cheekbones and pointed chin gave him a cat-like appearance that made him even more striking.

There were already seven other people seated at the table. No one sat across from Cointreau and there was an empty seat in the middle of the right side of the table. Harry was slightly shocked that he was not automatically given the position of least power. However, it could have been to keep him from feeling overwhelmed being on the immediate left of Cointreau. The vampire on Harry's right did not seem overly concerned at being situated "beneath" Harry, which was puzzling in and of itself.

Colby seemed to tense when he noticed the vacant chair. No one sat across from Cointreau. That seat was traditionally reserved for Cointreau's Lady if she deigned to attend. However, in the last 300 years, she had only attended twice. She cared little for war or politics. Only when the politics were about an alliance marriage did she care. It was not for any romantic notions, but that another coven would be acquiring significant power and she wished to preserve her position. It was not this absence that bothered the former mafia member. It was the fact that Harry was not placed at the bottom rung of the hierarchy at his first meeting. Unsure of Cointreau's reasoning and of the reception this would have amongst the other leaders, Colby stepped up his focus and subtly cued Remus to be on his guard.

"We are pleased that you could make it Lord Potter," a sibilant voice whispered from across the room.

Harry nodded, slightly unsure as to the proper response.

"Have a seat and we shall begin."

Harry sat in the available, grandiose chair, Colby and Remus standing behind him and on either side.

"This Wizarding threat is unusual in its ferocity. We all remember times when we have been targeted; however, this is the first time the Ministry has organized a task force to exterminate us, exclusively."

The older vampires all nodded in agreement.

"Are there any problems that have arisen within the covens as a direct result from these new Ministry laws?"

Following some unspoken protocol, the elder on the right of Cointreau began speaking, "Several of the younger members have been executed for deliberately leaking information to these so-called Hunters."

Cointreau nodded and marked something on the paper in front of him.

The next coven leader awaited his attention before reporting. "We have had unknown vampires attempting to bring Ministry personnel through the Blood Wards. We have been fortunate and captured the invaders before they became a threat."

The High Lord marked his paper again and faced the next in line.

"Our already small supplies of Shade of Night are almost non-existent. We can only use it in extreme emergencies. I shudder to think of having to evacuate the whole coven during daylight; we only have enough for one quarter of the residents to escape."

Collective shivers raced about the table at the thought of being left to the sun's cruel mercy.

Cointreau nodded seriously and marked his paper one final time. "Is there anything else that needs to be contributed to this matter?" He paused for several seconds, but was only greeted with silence. "Very well then, on to new topics." He deftly switched to the paper that had previously been on the bottom and read through the expected subjects.

Once he was ready to begin again, he gazed about the table and let his eyes rest on Harry. "I believe everyone noticed the attendance of a new member today. I assure you, he was invited for more of a purpose than an _introduction_." The strange emphasis on the last word made Harry wish that he was a Slytherin to understand the odd weight given it.

All heads turned to inspect Harry as if he had suddenly appeared. It gave him the uneasy feeling of becoming prey; a feeling he had never endured in his life as a predator.

"Lord Potter and his … _entourage_ … are here to give us an in depth analysis on the Wizarding World as he knows it."

Harry sat up slightly straighter, Remus and Colby edging closer to remind him of their presence. When Remus went to lay a hand on Harry's shoulder, he was stopped by a sharp glare from the Political Advisor. Instead, he completed the movement and folded his arms across his chest, giving the distinct impression of an enforcer. Colby turned back to the front. All present knew who he was and had a likely idea as to his role. However, until the conversation started in earnest, he could do nothing; otherwise, the Council would assume Harry was naïve. It was for the same reason he stopped Remus. With these people, presentation was everything. The slightest gesture could show their hand and they would be laid bare before the most powerful vampires in the British Isles.

"It would be my pleasure, High Lord Cointreau."

Seemingly pleased by the response, Cointreau nodded at Harry to continue.

"With the majority of Death Eaters dead and Voldemort's body disintegrated, the Ministry lacked a sufficient outlet for revenge. However, it presented the perfect opportunity to push forward gradual anti-Creature laws that the Minister and his advisors have wanted to enforce for many years."

The vampire to Cointreau's immediate right spoke up. "But these laws are only targeted towards vampires. Not even werewolves are affected."

Harry gave the man a sharp look. It was clearly a sign of disrespect to interrupt another Lord while he was giving his report. It seemed as if this particular Lord wanted Harry to remember he was ranked far below the others.

"Yes, Lord. This is true … for now," Harry answered carefully. He was treading on dangerous ground now; although the older vampire delivered the cut direct, he could not respond in like. It was imperative that he show himself capable of holding his own against this high-ranking and heavily respected vampire; but with proper deference to his power and position. "However, once they have subdued the vampires and reduced our population to an 'acceptable level,' do you think it will stop with us?"

The older Lord narrowed his eyes as he studied Harry's face. All he saw, though, was a genuine request for his opinion. "That is a fair point," he conceded, the beginnings of a smirk on his lips. It seemed that Harry had again passed some indecipherable test.

Colby inwardly smirked. Harry was showing some true talent at portraying a powerful vampire Lord. It would make his job significantly easier in the future if he kept it up. He was not overly disrespectful; however, it was important for the others to be reminded that they were all individuals brought together under duress and not even the youngest would be foolish enough to yield his autonomous control.

Harry slowly looked back at Cointreau and continued his update on the Wizarding World. "It is not all lost however. Dumbledore is completely on our side and is constantly trying to convince the Ministry to stop their foolish actions from going too far. He does not seem to be having much luck, though. The Wizarding World's prejudices are in favor of the majority this time and there is little he can do about it. Severus Snape maybe a strong supporter in the future. It was because of his actions that Matthas Paudski was able to escape from Hogwarts unhindered. However, I have no clue if it was because one of his Slytherins was in danger or if he truly carries no ill-will towards our kind.

"The Hunters will be the most difficult to handle. They do not have a significant presence to be exceedingly dangerous yet; but several well-known and respected Aurors have been transferred into the Hunters ranks to bolster them and to train the newest members. Most notably amongst these are Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They also have managed to invent a new substance they call Revealing Powder. It completely lowered my defenses and I was unable to maintain my glamour. It is a large problem that magical vampires will have to deal with. We are so used to anonymity amongst the wizards that I fear several of us will be exposed with no way to counteract the damage done. Every Hunter is supposed to have a supply of this powder and the Hogwarts greenhouses have been enlisted by the Ministry to grow the plants required in bulk quantities.

"Everyone else, including the rest of the Order of the Phoenix should be considered a possible enemy and to be treated with extreme caution. I am not sure if they will become directly involved in this war or if they will specifically target the Harith Coven and myself."

Cointreau nodded to himself and looked back down at his parchment. He marked several things down and took his time reviewing what he had written before continuing with the meeting. "Although this is a highly unusual suggestion, I believe that the severity of the situation that we will be facing deserves due consideration. We cannot afford to be constantly on alert from attacks from other Covens and be prepared to fend off Wizards at the same time. It seems that the only logical action is to declare a truce until such a time as we are no longer threatened by an outside source."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for Cointreau to continue. The oldest leaders clearly disliked the idea and would not readily agree until certain stipulations were made.

"Of course, this does not mean you will be expected to follow any command not your own. However, if we are able to establish several joint directives, we will have a much stronger chance at showing the Ministry what folly it is to try to subdue our ancient and noble race."

"What sort of joint strategies should we be considering?" a vampire several seats down the hierarchy asked.

Cointreau observed the impetuous younger vampire until he quelled beneath the High Lord's gaze. "It seems only logical that we will need to discover what the Ministry's source of inside information is and how they have come by their discoveries. If they have truly managed to capture a vampire and hold them prisoner to do experiments on, we should either free them or put them to rest, whichever is kinder.

"Coordinating our attacks and sharing information on how the Aurors and Hunters strategies are changing with every strike will only increase our chances at survival and ensure our later independent Covens' health." Cointreau paused and examined each vampire sitting at the table slowly. He lingered over several as if weighing their responses before continuing. "I would suggest that the moment any Coven is attacked, that word be sent to the others so that we may all be on alert. However, I know that that would be highly distasteful to all of us. Instead, I will ask that, at bare minimum, a full battle report is sent to the other Coven Leaders at the conclusion so that we may all better our defenses. Any coordinated attacks that would benefit us all must go through this council and representatives from each coven be present at the attacks so that we are all guaranteed the same information."

The majority of the vampires nodded their heads with only the two most influential other than Cointreau abstaining from any reaction.

"In order to ensure this treaty and our safety, I will ask for a Blood Oath before we adjourn."

The reaction to his statement was audible with several muffled responses and glares. However, all of those present knew that their continued future depended on uniting, no matter how distasteful and against their natures it was.

Cointreau pressed a button next to his left hand and waited in tense silence until a knock was heard on the door. "Enter."

The same vampire that had greeted Harry at the door now walked in carrying a jewel encrusted box. He slowly approached the High Lord and set the box in front of him. With a nod, he was dismissed and made his way out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Ever so gently, the elder vampire opened the lid of the box to reveal a rich, red velvet interior. Nestled amongst the fabric was an equally ornate and delicate dagger. The silver gleamed even in the low light, lending it an ethereal feel. Cointreau passed the dagger to his right and watched the vampire expectantly.

With a deftness that showed long practice, the Lord slit the palm of his hand. "I so swear to uphold the treaty. On my Blood and Honor." He quickly cleaned the blade with a handkerchief that seemed to appear out of nowhere and handed the dagger to his right.

Passing the blade around, each vampire made their oath, dripping their blood onto the common table. Harry covertly glanced down and saw old blood splatters that must have remained from other times when Blood Oaths were necessary. No vampire would exchange blood, even in casual touch, in this setting. It was reserved for Turning and other intimate situations. Each vampire held their blood precious to them and would never share with an opposing Coven. This was the closest it got, with sharing the same ancient table.

Eventually, the dagger made its way to Harry. It was clear what was expected of him and he was not about to commit a faux pas by hesitating. The sharp blade glided effortlessly through his skin, leaving it dripping with blood from the deep cut. He was thankfully that Colby had seen fit to go over his outfit before they left, or he would have had to resort to wiping the blade on his sleeve. Pulling his own red handkerchief out, he wiped the blade and passed it to the last vampire on the table.

The oaths finished, Cointreau had the dagger back and slit his own hand. "As High Lord I so swear to uphold and bind the treaty. On my Blood and Honor so let it be done."

With the addition of his blood to the table, the red droplets glowed a brilliant ruby before settling into the wood and darkening. The newest drops could no longer be told apart from the oldest and cemented their deal. Any who now broke it would be considered an outcast from vampiric society and would no longer be invited back to the council and their Coven would be considered rogue.

Satisfied that everything was as settled as it would be for the evening, Cointreau rose. "I thank you all for your attendance and contributions this evening. However, the night grows short."

The other Lords stood and vacated the rooms. Each kept a respectful distance been each other as they wound their way back to the front door. Once they had all exited the manor, they divided and went separate directions. Several appeared to be getting into cars and others were waiting for signs of apparition from the magical vampires that resided in their own Covens. Harry, Remus and Colby waked back to their original apparition point, leaving the wards behind before taking their own leave.

**

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A/N: I know this took forever, but work has had me swamped. In fact, I just got in from work after starting yesterday morning at 4am. I literally drove 11 hours yesterday and that's not including the two more it took to get back home today. Needless to say, I'm beyond exhausted. But, at least I've updated something other than an expense report now.**


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